Atiku to flag off presidential campaign in Akwa Ibom on Monday

…As Presidential Campaign Council D-G Tambuwal vows issue-based campaigns

The Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, has said the PDP standard bearer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, will flag off his campaign next Monday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

According to Tambuwal, the PDP will campaign based on issues affecting the country, adding that “Atiku is very well prepared to provide the required leadership for this country at this time.”

Tambuwal made the revelation in Abuja on Tuesday at a press conference after the inspection of Atiku’s campaign office.

“We are pleased to report to you and indeed Nigerians that the campaign is ready to move,” said Tambuwal. “By the grace of God, we are flagging off the campaign this coming Monday, the 10th of October 2023, at Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. All arrangements have been made to have a very successful flag off of the campaign.

“Our campaign is going to be issue-based. We’re going to be marketing our candidates based on the programme that we brought out, which is generally solution-based.

“Atiku is very well prepared to provide the required leadership for this country at this time. He has experience in governance at the federal level, which I believe none of the rest of the candidates can match. This is not the time for Nigerians to go for trial and error.

“It’s time for Nigerians to give it to the person that has been tested and who has experience of doing a good job, who would from day one hit the ground running as we have done for the inauguration of the campaign council on the very day INEC lifted the ban on campaigns for the presidential election campaign on the 28th. Even that should confirm to Nigerians that this is the only party and indeed candidate that is prepared and ready to go.”

“We seek the collaboration of Nigerians and the understanding as we go about campaigns. As I said, ours is going to be based on issues and we seek to have a violence-free electoral process. In any case, our principal has been known to be a peaceful man and his personality speaks for him as a gentleman.”

When asked about the internal wrangling in the party, and how to work with the aggrieved colleagues, Tambuwal said, “We’re not involved in a war of attrition. It is a political disagreement and we’re working to resolve all of those issues.”

He also spoke about the popularity of Atiku in the South East, saying, “We’ve travelled throughout the nooks and crannies of this country, particularly around the states before the primary campaign, and he was in the southeast. Only last week, we were in Enugu, the political capital of that region, for consultations. No state during the consultation will be left out.

“So, we’re very prepared to go into the southeast and we believe that we’re still the number one candidate for the southeast and we are going to consult everywhere in all of the six political zones in this country.”