By TOM CHIAHEMEN, Abuja
Former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar will on November 19 kick-start his campaign for president in the 2019 election.
A statement from his campaign organization in Abuja at the weekend, said that Atiku will begin the campaign through an address to the Nigerian people on Facebook at 12 noon on Monday where he will launch his policy document.
According to the statement, “In his address the PDP presidential candidate will present his vision for Nigeria and his action plan to achieve it as encapsulated in his policy document. The document will promptly be uploaded on his website (www.atiku.org) for all Nigerians to access at no cost.”
The statement, signed by Paul Ibe, said that the decision of Atiku to kick-start his presidential campaign with the launch of his policy document is to reiterate his commitment to run an issue based campaign.
“The intention is to take our policy directly to Nigerians and to register the belief of Atiku Abubakar that it will take the collective efforts of every Nigerian to rebuild the country. That is why we want Nigerians to access the policy directly and ultimately take ownership of it.
“Our campaign offers a simple message: united, the people of Nigeria can begin anew, creating a prosperous and secure future and a better life for every Nigerian.”
Atiku served as Vice President under President Olusegun Obasanjo administration from May 29, 1999 to May 28, 2007 on the platform of the PDP.
He left the party and co-founded the defunct Action Congress (AC) on which platform he contested the 2007 presidential election but lost to late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the PDP.
In the 2015 elections, Atiku fought for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari. Though he lost the ticket, he remained in the APC until November 2017 when he dumped the party and rejoined the PDP a week after.
Atiku emerged the presidential candidate of the PDP during the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt on October 7, 2018, beating 11 other contenders including Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwabo.
He has since picked a former governor of Anambra State and successful businessman, Peter Obi, as his running mate in the presidential election scheduled to hold in February 2019.
Next year’s presidential election in Nigeria is widely seen as straight battle between Atiku and incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari of the governing APC, even as there are scores of other candidates of different party platforms, including former governor Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Major-General John Gbor of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).