PDP Presidential Candidate Arrives In Adamawa State
By Nuru Shehu Jos / August 17, 2022
It was a total shut-down of public and private activities in Yola, Adamawa State capital when the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections, had a home-coming reception from the enthusiastic people of the state on August 15, 2022.
It was the first time he was returning to his hometown officially after he emerged as the flagbearer of the PDP in the presidential primaries. From the Yola International Airport, he proceeded to the palace of the Lamido of Adamawa to pay traditional compliments before heading for the Mahmud Ribadu Square in Yola for a mega rally where a mammoth crowd was waiting for him.
At the mega rally, he welcomed thousands of APC supporters, including two state lawmakers who had defected to the PDP. While speaking to the people, His Excellency Atiku expressed to Nigerians that his sole mission in politics is to serve the people.
According to the PDP presidential flagbearer, if elected that he was ready, willing and able to tackle the various challenges confronting the country and ensure that Nigeria is put back on its feet again, where peace, progress and economic prosperity will flourish.
During the grand reception in his honour, the 2023 PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, thanked the people of Adamawa for the warm reception and also, enjoined the over 100,000 defectors to join him and the party to rescue and rebuild Nigeria together.
The PDP National Working Committee led by National Chairman Senator (Dr.) Iyorchia Ayu, who received the defectors and assured them that the party will always treat every member of the party fairly and transparently.
He expressed that PDP is home and thanked them for identifying with their son, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, at this juncture where every hand was needed on deck to rescue and rebuild Nigeria to greatness again, which Atiku is well poised to deliver on.
One observer attributed the harvest of new members to the transparent manner the party conducted its primaries that produced H.E. Atiku Abubakar as the standard flagbearer of the party, saying, it is an eloquent testimony to the sterling performance of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
The host Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri thanked the people of the state for coming out en masse to welcome the presidential candidate and promised that the people of Adamawa were solidly behind him and would vote overwhelmingly in favour of their son in the 2023 presidential election.
It will be recalled that in 1999, when party politicking resumed in Nigeria, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was elected the first executive Governor of Adamawa State before Chief Olusegun Obasanjo chose him to be his Vice-Presidential candidate. They won the election and governed for eight years with Atiku solidly in charge of many departments of the administration, laying solid foundation for democracy to prosper.
Ever since, Atiku has been a constant factor in the national political calculation. That’s why the people of Adamawa State rolled out the red carpet to welcome him home in a grand reception.
Among the dignitaries at the rally to receive the decampees were, Atiku’s vice-presidential running-mate and Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, former Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, former Adamawa State Governor, Boni Haruna, former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, Senator Adamu Maina and the campaign spokesperson, Senator Dino Melaye.