Former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who on Sunday morning won the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing him as a man who has the capacity to take the country to greater heights.
Below is the text of the message Dr. Jonathan sent to Atiku after he was announced winner of the primaries in Port Harcourt:
“I congratulate His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa, and by the grace of God and the votes of Nigerians, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our party members have spoken and have nominated you as the candidate for the forthcoming Presidential elections.
I am convinced that you have all it takes to take Nigeria to greater heights and transform her into a hub for prosperity and happiness.
Congratulations. “Also, President of the Senate and a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bukola Saraki, has congratulated former vice-president Atiku Abubakar who has been elected as their party’s presidential candidate.
Saraki made this known in a series of tweets via his verified Twitter handle, @bukolasaraki.
Saraki had tweeted: “We always knew from Day 1 that only one candidate would emerge. On behalf of all the aspirants, I want to assure Alhaji @Atiku Abubakar that we will work with you to ensure that come 2019, you emerge as Nigeria’s next President. #PDPPresidentialPrimaries
“I congratulate our Presidential Candidate, Your Excellency, Alhaji @Atiku Abubakar, for your victory. You have stayed on course over the years and truly, you deserve this victory. #PDPPresidentialPrimaries
“Thank you everyone for supporting our vision to #GrowNigeria.
“I want to thank Governor Okowa for planning and organizing this transparent, free and fair Presidential Primary and Convention. #PDPPresidentialPrimaries.
“Today is a great day for our party, @OfficialPDPNig, because it has shown what men and women of our party can do. Today has shown that the interest of our party and the Nigerian people is more important than our individual interests. #PDPPresidentialPrimaries.
While congratulating Atiku, Ekweremadu said the PDP presidential candidate was the next President of Nigeria.
The Senate deputy Speaker, who congratulated other aspirants and the PDP on the primary which he described as “crucial and rancor-free,” noted that all the aspirants were qualified to lead the nation.
The senator, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, said, “I join our teeming party faithful and supporters to congratulate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the incoming President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by God’s grace, on his nomination as the standard-bearer of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election.
“This is a watershed and a momentous occasion for the PDP and indeed the nation. More important in the race was the transparent, free, fair, credible, and peaceful process.”
