Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday said, given the preparedness of leaders and members in Lagos State, he holds the belief that the party, come 2023 would win the state.
Atiku, who is a former vice-president of Nigeria, made this assertion while addressing a large crowd of party members in the state, who gathered to receive him at Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking at the event, which recorded the presence of the governorship candidate of the party in Lagos State, Dr Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran popularly called Jandor; his running mate, Funke Akindele- Bello; PDP chairman in the state, Hon. Phillip Aivodje; Engrn. Adedeji Doherty, other candidates of the party for 2023 polls, Atiku, who expressed great delight at the huge turnout at the event, pledged his support to ensure the party win Lagos in the next elections and forms the next government in the state.
This was just as Atiku, who insisted that evidence showed that PDP was on the ground in the state, charged them to work harder to achieve the set goal, come 2023.
The former vice president, who was accompanied by former governor of Niger State, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu; Sen. Dino Melaye, and Raymond Dokpesi, among others, noted that he was a man of his words as, according to him, he would not promise what he could not fulfil.
“I have come to see for myself that PDP is on the ground in Lagos. I want you to work harder and I would cooperate with you to win Lagos in 2023. I would support you, and this time, we would win Lagos.
“We have not started a campaign so that let people not say we are breaking the law in Lagos. This time around, Jandor will be the next governor of Lagos State, come 2023,” he said.
Governorship Candidate of PDP in Lagos, Dr Adediran, said the party in the state had talked to its members to unite, declaring that they were all focused on winning the 2023 polls to deliver Nigeria and Lagos for PDP.
The PDP standard bearer appreciated the party’s presidential candidate, saying party leaders and members in the state believed in him to take Nigeria to greater heights, even as he noted that what Nigeria desired at this particular moment is a Nigerian president and a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We have spoken to our members, and we are focused on 2023 to deliver Nigeria and Lagos to PDP. We believe in you, and we appreciate you. We want a Nigerian president, a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our concern is 2023 elections,” Adediran said.
Also speaking, Sen. Dino Melaye, who is the spokesperson of the PDP presidential candidate, described Atiku as a true Lagosian and a chieftaincy title holder in the state, just as declared that only two candidates were in contention for the 2023 poll.
According to him, the contest is between Atiku and one other candidate, whom he did not mention.
“We have just two presidential candidates in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar and one other. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to introduce to you the next president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
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