A former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, met with leadership of the ATIKUNATION ICG from across the 36 states of the federation in Abuja on Sunday.
The team met with the former vice-president under the platform of ATIKUNATION – an independent campaign group led by Fateema Mohammed Ogunkola.
They were received by Atiku at about 2:00 pm on Sunday to discuss the 2023 presidential election and how to map out strategies to ensure Nigerians get the right leader at the expiration of the present tenure.
The meeting comes daysafter the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convened in Abuja to discuss the coming convention and the critical issue of zoning of key offices.
During the meeting, Atiku told the NWC that the decision the party makes in the coming weeks would go a long way in deciding its fate in the 2023 polls.
Many political pundits are of the opinion that Atiku remains the best bet for the PDP to return to power at the centre come 2023.
They cite his vast experience as a political figure in the country, his pan-Nigerian outlook, huge success in the private sector and favourable disposition in the international community as factors working in his favour.
Others point to the peculiarities of Nigerian politics in terms of voting patterns across the North-South divide.
Buttressing this point, Hamma-Ahmed Hayatu, businessman and politician, warned the PDP on the dangers of sacrificing an Atiku candidacy on the altar of zoning.
Writing on twitter, he said: “The luxury of zoning is for a party in power, a party that seeks to takeover power presents its strongest candidate. Jettisoning Atiku Abubakar, a candidate with almost 12 million votes at the last elections to another gamble is purely foolhardy for our party the PDP.”