Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Saturday evening won the presidential primary of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to emerge the party’s candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku scored 371 votes to beat Governor Nyesom Wike who scored 237 votes.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki came third with 70 votes
Voting by national delegates was done state by state and in alphabetical order and it ended at 10.10 p.m while sorting of votes began at 10.18 p.m.
Atiku Abubakar will unarguably be the most experienced contest on the ballot for Nigeria’s presidential election scheduled for February, 2023.
His first attempt at ruling Nigeria was in 1993 when he contested for the presidential ticket of Social Democratic Party at the primaries of the party in Jos, Plateau State.
The primary was won by the late MKO Abiola who, however was not allowed to assume office despite winning the presidential election conducted on June 12, 1993.
At the exit of the military in 1999, Atiku was the runing mate for former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He contested the presidency under the then opposition Action Congress in 2007, coming distant third to the winner, and the candidate of PDP, Umaru Yar’Adua and then General Muhammadu Buhari who contested on the platform of the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party, ANPP, one of the legacy parties of the now ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
In 2011, the former Vice President returned to PDP and contested for the ticket of the party alongside Goodluck Jonathan who had taken over as Nigeria’s President following the death of Yar’Adua.
However, he lost to Jonathan who was overwhelmingly endorsed the candidacy of Jonathan who went on to win the election.
Ahead of the 2015 general election, the former Vice President joined the APC and contested for the presidential ticket which he lost to President Buhari.
Atiku returned to PDP ahead of the 2019 general election where he contested for the presidential ticket of the party and against all expectations, defeated Governor Aminu Tambuwal to get emerge the candidate of PDP for the 2019 presidential election.
But he lost to the incumbent and the candidate of APC.
Atiku celebrated his 75 birthday last year and will be over 76 when Nigeria will hold its next general election.