Abubakar Atiku Emerge As Northern Consensus Candidate

Now all speculations has been laid to rest, as the Adamu Ciroma led committee,said it has chosen former Vice   President, Abubakar Atiku, as its candidate for the PDP presidential ticket. A press statement signed by Adamu Ciroma and Abdulkadir Sabo Bello, reads:    

'We are pleased to announce that we have concluded our assignment of arriving at a consensus candidate today and one out of the four aspirants who submitted themselves to the process has emerged'.

  'He is ATIKU ABUBAKAR'.   ' We are glad and proud that we have finally arrived at this outcome after

several weeks of hard work and wide consultations. We are proud because of the unusual honour and extraordinary privilege given us by the four gentlemen who placed their political destinies in our hands'.

  'We are humbled by the strength of their faith. We appreciate their humility and cooperation. We have been reassured by all of them that they will work together to enable ATIKU ABUBAKAR clinch their party's ticket in the presidential primaries'.

  ' We thank all Nigerians, supporters and critics alike for their views over these past several weeks. While we note these views and respect each one of them, we insist that no individual, organization or society dreaming of success and greatness can achieve these dreams without respect for others and honouring agreements voluntarily entered into'.

  'This is especially so where these agreements have been transformed into a binding document, a constitution, which governs the conduct of those who subscribe to it'.

  ' We call on all Nigerians to reflect on this. We also call on all delegates to the forthcoming party conventions to take these into account while casting votes'.

  'God bless the Federal Government of Nigeria'.
 
'Thank you'.  
 
However, the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the Northern Consensus Presidential Aspirant for the People Democratic Party , PDP, primaries has thrown President Goodluck Jonathan camp into jubilation.

 
The excitement in Aso Rock came as a peace meeting being convened by President Jonathan between himself and the Northern aspirants including Atiku Abubakar, former vice president; Ibrahim Babangida , former military president; Aliyu Gusau, former national security adviser (NSA) to President Jonathan; and Bukola Saraki , governor of Kwara state was called-off.

The peace talks which was earlier billed for 3:00 pm yesterday at the Defence House, Maitama Abuja had to be postponed at the instance of President due to the emergence of Atiku earlier in the day.

The President, it was learnt, had to postponed the meeting there was no need to meet with all the aspirants since Atiku has been selected as a consensus aspirants.

To this end, President Jonathan has shown interest to meet with Atiku at a later date, which is expected to discuss and agree to a peaceful electoral campaigns.

 
The camp declared that the emergence of Atiku is a good omen for the presidential ambition of President jonathan, as the development does not in anyway constitute a threat to whatsoever to the Jonathan's aspiration.

A highly placed presidency source said  that "the President Jonathan,s camp was confident that whatever becomes the outcome of the selection process by  the few northerners who were insisting on zoning, the will of the majority of Nigerians would certainly prevail against the thinking of the very few that were opposed to our principal".

 
According to the source, the Jonathan's men across the country were in a festive mood, immediately the news of Atiku's emergence came, they began to exchange banters and congratulatory messages through phones.

While reacting to the Atiku victory at the selection process, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Ima Niboro, boasted that "the coast is now clearer for Jonathan's presidency in the 2011 presidential election ".

"We are totally excited by Atiku's selection because this decision has made the coast even clearer for President", he said.

The source who  elected anonymity' said;that the Babangida camp is already accusing Ciroma, chairman of the selection committee of vendetta.

The Babangida camp accused the  Ciroma committee of choosing Atiku over Babangida because the former military president denied him the National Republican Convention (NRC) presidential ticket over two decades ago.

The source said, 'the IBB camp is accusing Ciroma of Vendetta. They are already making moves to seek alternative platform for IBB to run'.

Speaking further on the matter, the source said the IBB camp are even more aggrieved because 'when IBB was chased out in 1993, after the annulment of the June 12, election, he managed to win the political leadership of a conservative section of the north and now, they have rejected him'.

'IBB as you know is likely to go to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to pursue his ambition but the Jonathan group is making overture to him and the others to bridge the political gap in the Peoples