'Atiku has not anointed any aspirant for Kogi gov primary' - Aide discloses

Paul Ibe, the media aide to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, has debunked media reports connecting Atiku with the endorsement of an aspirant for the Kogi State governorship election billed for November 11 this year.

According to Ibe, the report was a “false and gross fabrication” and added that the process of selecting a standard bearer should be determined by the people and not an individual, no matter how powerful.

The statement read, “The attention of the former vice president of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar has been drawn to several media reports insinuating his involvement in the democratic process of electing the gubernatorial flag bearer for the Peoples Democratic Party in the upcoming Kogi State governorship election.

“We wish to state categorically that such media reports are false and gross fabrication. Atiku is a consummate democrat and the hallmark of his political struggles has been for the enablement of internal democracy in party politics.

“It is, therefore, absurd to suggest that Atiku has a preferred candidate in the primary election to produce the governorship candidate of the PDP in the Kogi State election – or in any primary election, for that matter.

“For the avoidance of any doubts, Atiku Abubakar has no anointed candidate in the Kogi State primary election. He believes that the decision to elect the flag bearer of the PDP in the coming election in the Confluence State is the responsibility of electors in that primary election.”

He further cautioned aspirants to “desist from peddling influence with his name” while urging the media to not “lay prostrate to any blackmail against him.”