Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday intensified his presidential aspiration by meeting with BoT members.
Addressing the party’s elders at the Yar’ Adua Centre, Atiku said 2023 presents PDP with the last opportunity at regaining power or going down completely.
He said: ”Your excellences, friends, brothers and sisters, we are now at a crucial moment in this country. For many of you here, it is either we retire together or we move on together.
”As one of the speakers said, I am worried and you should be worried too, that if we do not win, it means we will be in opposition again for the next eight years.
”By the next eight years, I don’t know how many of you will be left in politics. It (defeat) may even ultimately lead to the death of the party because people gravitate, particularly in developing countries, towards governments.
”Ordinary people naturally gravitate towards the government. So, this is a very, very crucial and historical moment in history for our survival. I want you to think about it.”
Atiku dismissed his alleged disregard for zoning, saying the PDP had always been faithful with the zoning arrangement.
He said: “Yes, people have not stopped talking about power rotation and zoning, or whatever it is.
”For sure, in the party, we invented and formulated this zoning policy simply because we wanted every part of this country to have a sense of belonging and I personally have paid my dues on the issue of zoning.
”Many of you were members of our government when all PDP governors came in 2003 and said I should run and I said no.
”We had agreed that power should remain in Southwest. Why should I contest? Some of those governors that supported me at the time went to jail. Some of them were kicked out of their offices but we made sure that we kept the zoning policy.
”So, you cannot come and try to imply that PDP has not been following the zoning policy.
”In the many years of PDP government; eight years and six years, all of them (President) were from South.
”My vision is to build bridges across the country. Please, join me in building bridges across this country so that every part of this country will have a sense of belonging.”
