2019: What Atiku offers Lamido to step down for him

PDP’s presidential aspirant Atiku Abubakar has predicted a rival, Sule Lamido, in the party will step down for him in the run up to the party primary coming soon.

Abubakar said this on Monday at the PDP headquarters in Dutse, Jigawa State when he met party leaders during his campaign tour.

Lamido and Abubakar are among 15 presidential aspirants jistling for the [arty ticket.

Atiku believes Lamido is his younger brother, and that both of them have similar political orientation.

He strengthened his point by citing the Third Republic when the Yar’Adua brothers initially sought the tickets of the defunct Social Democratic Party.

The late Shehu, who was the elder, was running for president while the late Umar sought the ticket of the same party for governorship of Katsina State.

According to Atiku, Musa was persuaded to shelve his ambition to secure the chances of his elder brother.

“But with the intervention of elders in the state, the junior brother Umar Musa stepped down for another aspirant so that the politics will not be a family affair,” he said.

Abubakar said that his mother was from Jigawar Sarki, in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa, before her family migrated to Adamawa State where Mr Abubakar was born.

“Sule Lamido is my junior brother and will learn from what transpired between Shehu Musa and Umaru Musa.”

The state PDP chairman, Salisu Mahmuda, called on the aspirants to be united to prevent what he called an automatic second coming of the APC.

Whomever emerges the PDP candidate is expected to be the main challenger to President Muhammadu Buhari in next year’s presidential election.

Atiku had a meeting with Lamido after meeting the party leaders.