2023: North Rallies Round Atiku, Gusau Presents Ex-VP To IBB Tomorrow

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2023: North Rallies Round Atiku, Gusau Presents Ex-VP To IBB Tomorrow

The political elite in Northern Nigeria are propping up former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the candidate of the region in the 2023 presidential election.

In this wise, former national security adviser, General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (rtd), is set to present Atiku Abubakar to former military head of head, General Ibrahim Babaginda tomorrow as the anointed northern candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

This follows Atiku’s emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the election over the weekend after defeating governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike, Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and other candidates at the just concluded PDP primaries.

Top sources, who confirmed the move to LEADERSHIP, said some powerful northern elite, led by former military president Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) and Gusau, met before the primaries and asked all northern candidates to step down and support the Atiku’s candidature, but that Bala Mohammed and Bukola Saraki insisted on going on with the election, which did not please the group.

It took the intervention of General IBB, who personally called the Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal to step down for Atiku and that was why it was done openly at the convention as a sign of allegiance to the group and the grand plan of having a united northern candidate for the 2023 general election.

The sources also stated that the group was annoyed with Governor Bala Mohammed and was determined to punish him by ensuring that he does not get an opportunity to go back to his position where a proxy had obtained a ticket for him.

Gusau was said to have been the middle man who negotiated and lobbied to ensure that all candidates from the North came together to support the candidature of Atiku Abubakar for the PDP general election in 2023.