Atiku vows to exclude President Jonathan as Candidate for PDP Presidential Election 2015

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said that attempts to alter the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) constitution to exclude candidates other than President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2015 presidential poll would be resisted.
Atiku, who spoke against the speculation that the PDP is planning to amend its constitution to make the President a sole candidate for the presidential poll in case he is willing to seek reelection, told journalists in Kano yesterday that such action is unconstitutional. He said would not allow such alteration to the constitution to happen.

His words: “My position is that as far as PDP constitution is concern, any attempt to change the party’s rule to favour the President as a sole candidate in the event of his willingness to re-contest is unconstitutional.

The contest should be open to all who desire to pursue an ambition on the platform of the PDP. “I don’t see any such amendment being successful; we are looking forward to a successful transition in 2015.”

Atiku, however, faulted a statement credited to an Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner that there would be no election in the North in 2015 because of the security challenges confronting the region.

The former vice-president said: “Again, all these talks that there would be no election in the North on the account of the Boko Haram insurgency is rubbish, I disagree with INEC on this issue.

“To me, that is a wrong statement to come from any such office because as far as I am concerned, the entire North is peaceful except for two states.

How can you now say there may not be election in the North with 19 states, just because there is problem in two states.”

On the allegation that INEC and the PDP are working to thwart the All Progressives Congress (APC) registration, Atiku said the allegation was unsubstantiated.