Atiku was one of the
12 presidential aspirants of the PDP who slugged it on Saturday in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State, at a time many analysts predicted that Sokoto State
Governor Aminu Tambuwal would carry the day.
However, when Atiku
emerged winner on Sunday, different media reports suggested that his fortune
during the contest swelled after a last minute high profile discussions and
realignments by former Nigerian leaders and other military generals.
Obasanjo, ex-Military
President Ibrahim Babangida, ex-Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar and General
T.Y. Danjuma, allegedly agreed, and thereafter reached out to PDP governors,
other party leaders and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on the need to rally
round Atiku to emerge as PDP candidate.
But one of Daily Trust
sources said the purported endorsement by Obasanjo was the creation of the
media.
Chief Obasanjo was rather shocked
when he heard that Atiku was the winner during the primaries. He did not
endorse his candidature, at least for now and the former president did not hold
any meeting with any general while the convention was taking place,” the source said.
“And with all sincerity, none of the people mentioned that they
worked together to help Atiku contact Obasanjo on the issue…They all knew his
stand on the former VP,” he said.
Obasanjo, who claimed
he had retired from partisan politics, had withdrawn his support for President
Muhammadu Buhari even as he had repeatedly called for the defeat of both the
ruling APC and the opposition PDP.
Another source said
Obasanjo would in the coming days speak on his impression about Atiku’s
candidature, saying “He is at present studying how things are unravelling.”
Obasanjo, whose
misunderstanding with Atiku dates back to 2007, had in August said of his
former vice president:“How can I be on the same side with Atiku? To do what?
“If I asist Atiku for something, God will not forgive me. If I
do not know, yes. It is obvious , Atiku can never enjoy my support,” he had said.
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