‘Saraki Never Considered to Lead Atiku’s Campaign’

Contrary to some reports that a former President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was one of those being considered to lead the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, truth is that he has never been in consideration for the job and also not interested in it either.

A top member of Atiku’s camp, who spoke exclusively to THISDAY, yesterday, said those pushing the narrative had an intention and also determined to achieve a purpose with it, because there was no iota of truth in the assertion.

According to the competent party source, who pleaded anonymity, immediately Atiku emerged candidate of the PDP, it was agreed that the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, should lead the campaign as its director-general (DG) and there was no opposition to it.

However, the thinking began to change after the camp of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, started reacting badly to the outcome of the presidential primary, especially, the narrative that the party leadership weighs too much on the northern side.

It was against this backdrop, that a section of the PDP leadership thought that the DG should go to the south for some balancing, a thinking the Atiku camp was also not opposed to, and which is the position at the moment while the ratification of the campaign council is being awaited. 

The source explained that Saraki had long resolved to work at the strategy level for the party and Atiku as far as 2023 is concerned, a role he was said to have since undertaken, because according to him, he wanted to concentrate on Kwara and not repeat the mistake of 2019.

“That narrative is faulty because there was no such thing. Those pushing for Saraki as the campaign DG are basically from the Wike group but not the party or Atiku’s camp, because those ones understood that Saraki was not interested in the DG.

“He is very much into the Kwara election at the moment and from all indications, his efforts in Kwara is fast paying off because the Kwara people have seen that the O’toge movement was a scam and not sustainable by those who sold the lies to them.

“He therefore, needs all the attention and concentration to make Kwara work and return to the PDP. He has never been penciled in for DG, neither has he shown interest in the job in whatever guise.

“But the Wike people genuinely want him, because they can trust him, and in addition to that, the party is now thinking of taking it to the south now and which is where it might go from all indication. But it was a position reserved for Tambuwal from the get go. Ask anybody and they will confirm this,” the source