Contrary to media reports that stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party are lobbying the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar to return to the party with an automatic presidential ticket as bait, the Board of Trustee Chairman of the Party, Sen. Walid Jibril said there would be no automatic ticket for any candidate seeking to fly the party's flag.
Sen. Jibril said if the Former Vice President returns to the party as being speculated, he would have to contest the ticket with other interested members of the party. He made the statement on Wednesday in Kaduna during a brief chat with newsmen. He explained that with the way Atiku is being treated by the All Progressives Congress (APC), he would have no choice than to return to the PDP. He added that the PDP was ready to accept him.
“We are ready to accept him to our party but he should be ready to work for a waiver. The North met in Abuja to say that any candidate from the North can contest. Let us get them. I think they are getting set now. For now, we have a former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido; a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, and so on preparing to vie for the PDP presidential ticket.
“If the PDP grants Atiku a waiver, he should then join the cream of presidential aspirants in the party to fight for the ticket in 2019. If the PDP considers Atiku for the automatic presidential ticket, what about those in the party who are showing interest? Should we throw them away? If he is coming, he should come as an equal partner.
“We are ready to accept him. But, he must follow the rules of the game. First, he must undergo primaries like any other person, and he must fight for the presidential ticket.”
