Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate after a keenly contest election at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday.
He defeated Governor Nyesom Wike of River State who was his closest rival in the race.
The governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku en route his victory at the party primaries.
Chronicle NG reports that former Senate President, Pius Anyim polled 14 votes while Governor Udom Emmanuel garnered 38 votes and his Bauchi counterpart, Bala Muhammed, managed 20 votes.
Former Kwara governor Bukola Saraki got 70 votes with Wike bagging 237 votes.
As at the time of this report, Atiku has 371 votes to emerge the PDP presidential candidate again.
Sen. David Mark, the Chairman and Chief Retuning Officer of the PDP Special Convention, announcing the results, said total number of accredited delegates was 767, the total number of votes cast was 763, while 13 were invalid votes.
Mark said that “Abubakar having scored the highest votes in the election is hereby declared the winner”.
He also announced the votes scored by other aspirants as Former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki – 70 votes and Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom – 38 votes.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim – 14 votes and Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State – 20 votes.
The only female Aspirant, Mrs Tari Oliver, and the former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mazi Samuel Ohuabunwa scored one vote each.
Other aspirants without vote included former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu; former Speaker of Abia State, Chikwendu Kalu; and former Deputy Speaker of Abia State, Cosmos Ndekwe.
Former governor Peter Obi of Anambra had earlier withdrawn from the race and resigned from the party.
Atiku born on Nov. 25, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa, ran for governor of the state three times in 1990, 1997 and 1998, when he was elected before becoming the running mate to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, of which he remained the vice president till 2003.
Atiku contested for the office of the president several times, including 2014, when he ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and lost at the primaries to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also ran as the PDP presidential candidate in 2019, but lost Buhari of APC.
