Atiku Not An Option For 2019 Presidential Race, Says APC Chieftain

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and National Vice Chairman (South-South), Hilliard Eta, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to shelve his plan to contest for the 2019 Presidential election and join President Muhammadu Buhari in nation building.

Eta, in an exclusive interview with The Punch, said that President was already doing what Atiku had always aspired to do if given the chance.

His words: “Another cycle is about to come and Atiku is no more an option for me because I think that the option for me now is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Buhari, who has done remarkably well in keeping the promises that he made to Nigerians.”

When asked if he was pushing for an automatic ticket for Buhari, Eta said, “Well, because of the sterling qualities of the President, because of the job he has done, the totality of the membership of the party may want him to go back without contest.

“What I mean is that those who may want to contest against him may join hands with him to build the country and have him only as both the aspirant and eventually the candidate of the party. It has happened in a lot of political circumstances around the world.”