Former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal have pledged their full support for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after a closed door meeting with the Dickson team, Tambuwal stressed the need for PDP to remain a strong united party, adding that the emphasis should be on the country and not personal ambition.
Tambuwal who observed that the country was being run by proxy said that Nigeria needed a president who would deliver effective governance.
The Sokoto Governor added that he was resolute in his decision to give his total support to Atiku in pursuit of victory for the PDP in the 2019 general elections.
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On his part, Makarfi said although the 12 aspirants went into the primary election as contestants, the emergence of one of them was a collective victory for party.
Makarfi said he had a long standing political relationship with Atiku spanning many years and it that it was too late in the day for him to jettison that relationship over presidential primaries.
Dickson, who led the team, described Tambuwal and Makarfi as frontline politicians qualified enough to fly the party’s presidential flag.
Dickson, on behalf of other PDP Governors, commended the two former aspirants for displaying maturity before, during and after the presidential primaries.
The Bayelsa governor said the visit to the two politicians was part of the decision of the PDP to visit and interact with other presidential aspirants that lost the primaries, with a view to encouraging them as leaders of the party in their own rights.
Dickson who heads the Standing Committee on Reconciliation of the PDP, said that the party had commenced series of consultative talks with other categories of aspirants and leaders of the party in the bid to present a united front.
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He stressed that the meeting with two former aspirants was borne out of the need to strengthen the PDP, to provide the requisite support for the candidate of the party for electoral victory.
Dickson said, “I am leading a team of the committee of governors to interact and compare notes with our brothers, Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
“They ran a great race and we are all proud of what they did and what they continue to do. We appreciate their statesmanship, we appreciate the way and manner they have been of help in consolidating the gains the party is making.
“This afternoon, as part of our decision to go round, visit, encourage and interact with all our party leaders, especially all those who indicated interest in the last presidential elections, we have held fruitful meetings.
“This is just the beginning of several interactions formally and informally that we are going to have with them and with several other leaders of our party.
“As you all know, they are very key players in the unfolding political scenario and we are all committed to reclaiming our country and building a new Nigeriaâ€.
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Dickson stressed the need for leaders of the PDP to close ranks and to hold regular talks as opposition politicians to reposition the PDP for electoral victory.
The Bayelsa Governor noted that as the nation moved towards the next election, the Indepedent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies had a responsibility to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in the country.
He urged INEC and the security agencies to be fair, adhere strictly to the rule of law, and to respect the rights of individuals in the next elections.
www.sojworld.com (c) October 15, 2018.
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