By Emmanuel Aziken & Dirisu Yakubu
As Kwankwaso gets set to declare Presidential ambition
Former Vice- President, Atiku Abubakar, has debunked claims of his defection from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as an attempt to distract him from his focus of winning the presidential ticket of the party and in turn the presidential election next year.
Atiku
Debunking claims in some sections of the media that he had defected from the PDP, which he rejoined last November, Atiku, through his campaign organisation, said: “For the avoidance of any doubts, Atiku remains the frontline aspirant for the Presidential ticket of the PDP.
“In the past two months, Atiku Abubakar has moved across states in the country consulting with stakeholders of the PDP and explaining to them his agenda encapsulated in the acronym JOBS: Jobs, Opportunity, Being united and Security) for Nigeria.
“The nationwide consultations continue this week with visits to the South-West, North-West and North-Central zones of the country.
“Atiku’s passion and commitment to winning the PDP primaries is without any compromise and to assume that he will abandon the hard work he has done with the positive results he is getting from the stakeholders of the party is to say the least preposterous and unthinkable.
“The campaign calls on supporters of Atiku to remain steadfast and see the contrived news of defection as an attempt to distract him from the set task of winning the PDP ticket and the 2019 presidential election by the grace of God.”
Kwankwaso gets set to declare Presidential ambition
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Kano Central senatorial district, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is set to declare his presidential ambition on the platform of PDP.
This is according to the press release, yesterday, by Kwankwaso Presidential Campaign Committee, signed by Taiwo Adekanle.
The statement said the declaration would hold at the Eagle Square, Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Wednesday, August 29, 2018.
Part of his achievements in the course of his stewardship as governor of Kano State, according to the statement, include the popular Free School Feeding Programme and the Treasury Single Account, TSA,based on his ‘Kwankwasiyya’ ideology, among others.
A grassroots politician, Kwankwaso was a member, Federal House of Representatives, representing Madobi Federal Constituency where he was elected deputy speaker in the aborted Third Republic.
In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Defence and in 2006, he was appointed Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Darfur and Somalia.