A former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, and Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, met behind closed doors in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday. The two are eyeing the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 elections. They went into a private meeting after addressing party leaders, members of the State House of Assembly and the State Executive Council.
Details of the meeting were not disclosed to journalists. But there are insinuations that Atiku is considering Fayose as his running mate. The governor, who maintained that his presidential ambition remained intact, said only “God knows tomorrow.” At separate interviews, the duo said former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s statement on President Muhammadu Buhari had confirmed that the All Progressives Congress-led government had failed.
Atiku said, “I won’t comment on the letter but it is a confirmation that the APC has failed this country. That party is not the solution to our country’s challenges.” He hinted that he would discuss his ambition with the governor whom he described as a force to reckon with in the PDP.
The former VP, who appreciated Fayose’s warm reception at the Akure Airport, said, “He (Fayose) calls the shots and when he does so, we all take the cue. “This is not surprising as Fayose and I had struck a good relationship since his first tenure as governor and I was the VP. He is blunt and straightforward, a sharpshooter in politics and I respect him for that. “But above all, he is also the chairman of our Governors’ Forum. Today among the governors, among the party generally, he calls the shots and when he does so, we all take the cue.”
Fayose said the party’s interest would be placed above individual aspiration in choosing a candidate for the 2019 elections. The governors added, “He (Atiku) has not spoken to me privately about it, and maybe he would do that in our private meeting. But his body language obviously shows he has an ambition which is legitimate.
