- Ahmed Makarfi, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee speaks on his plans to contest in 2019
- Makarfi said there is no law or party guideline excluding him to contest to be president 2019
- He added that PDP was going to be expecting a harvest of defections
In spite of the defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has said he could still contest the party’s presidential ticket.
NAIJ.com gathered that the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee, in an interview with The Interview magazine, said: “Atiku left before, he’s on his way back before the (party’s) Convention.”
There are rumours that Atiku might be gunning for the PDP’s presidential ticket.
READ ALSO: Mixed reactions trail Atiku's announcement of return to PDP
Makarfi in response to a question about his own interest said: “I have heard the rumour, it has been there since 2007…I have thought of it. By the time I leave as caretaker committee chairman on 9th or 10th, there’ll still be ten months to the party primaries. By any law or the party’s guidelines, I’m not excluded.”
He also said Fayose’s declaration of interest in the party’s presidential ticket, “is uncalled for and unhealthy,” despite the fact that PDP has zoned its presidential ticket for 2019 to the North.
Makarfi also said the PDP was expecting a harvest of defections, after Atiku’s move from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“For some strategic reasons. Don’t expect a lot of people to move to the PDP now. People are in APC for different reasons. Wait for the time when everybody will be on his own, you will see the influx of people into the PDP,” he said.
He spoke on the bitter contest for the
The caretaker committee chairman said the party’s chairmanship, is probably the most dangerous threat since the Supreme Court ruling saved the party from extinction.
Makarfi who came close to being the PDP’s presidential nominee in 2006 revealed, for the first time, how former President Olusegun Obasanjo schemed him out, even though an internal party assessment had returned him as the most favourable candidate.
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NAIJ.com previously reported that former vice president Abubakar Atiku announced his return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Atiku made the announcement in a Facebook live video on Sunday, December 3 afternoon. He said: "Today, I want to let you know that I am returning home to the PDP."
Atiku versus Buhari: Who will win? - on NAIJ.com TV.
Source: Naija.ng