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The PDP Primary In Retrospect: Taking A Look At What Was And The Reality Now

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The National convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party that lasted for two days (October 6-7,2018) in Port-Harcourt  culminated in the emergence of the party’s presidential standard bearer for the 2019  elections. It is no news again that Atiku Abubakar, a former vice-president beat 11 other aspirants to clinch the ticket and emerge as the party’s presidential candidate

However, with the masquerade known as PDP primary now disrobed, everything is now laid bare. Armed with hindsight we cast a backward look at what was said, the prognostications made, about the winner of the primary, the runner-up  and  two  of the  also-rans. 

ATIKU ABUBAKAR: Considering his intimidating political clout and credentials, he was the most underrated aspirant in the buildup to the primary. Perhaps his perennial defection from one party to the other informed the disregard his candidature suffered in some quarters. And again the fact that his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, has   vowed he will never mount the exalted throne in Aso Rock made some people so cocksure that he would fail again. However, the  former vice-president won convincingly even without Obasanjo’s  open support.   You may argue that Atiku oiled his path to success with showers, in the form of deluge of dollars, of blessings he rained on the delegates. But who among the aspirants did not use one  kind of inducement or the other? It is yet to be known whether Obasanjo tacitly supported him or Atiku  is just trying to make another  overture to his boss concerning 2019 because immediately after his victory at the primary election he became somewhat effusive of the Ota farmer.

 

AMINU TAMBUWAL: His name was bandied around as a potential winner of the primary election. He had two things going for him prior to the election. One was the support of Nyesom  Wike Governor of  the oil-rich Rivers State who is believed to have a substantial war chest and  the other thing was  the  marketability of his candidature  because of his seeming “youthfulness”  and vigour among the other aspirants . It is also believed that his political baggage is not too soiled compared to others. However, Wike’s   influence proved to be overrated and limited to Rivers’ State. Atiku cut Wike down to size by resoundingly defeating his candidate at the pool. He came distant second with 693 behind Atiku who pooled 1532. Atiku taught him that when it comes the execution of political schemes rigour and experience will always trounce vigour.

BUKOLA SARAKI:  If Atiku was the most underrated prior to the primary, Saraki on the other hand was the most overrated. He enjoyed undue pre-contest hype. Saraki basked in an oversized limelight quite disproportionate to his real political clout.  However, with the benefit of hindsight, Saraki did not give in to self-deception. The sitting Senate President did not suffer from delusion of grandeur, the man rather played safe by not putting all his political eggs in the beautifully embroidered presidential basket. Being a shrewd politician, having bought a presidential form the man  from Kwara  bought a senatorial form into the bargain. He came distant third behind Tanbuwal.

 RABIU KWANKWASO: The man was portrayed  as the one in charge in Kano and  the only person that can give Buhari a run for his money in the North. Some even believed prior to the election that all the delegates in the North were in support of his candidature. But it turned to   be an overestimation of his political as the man with trademark red cap and cult-like followers failed woefully at the primary. It is hoped this failure will not signal the genesis of his journey to political wilderness. Having being pursued from APC by his successor and his bread not getting buttered in the   PDP the man is now  somewhat floating politically and may be considering his next move. Don’t forget Shekarau his arch-rival has defected to  APC      

 

 

                                                                       

 

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