A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, on Thursday said the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would win the 2019 election.

Babatope, a former Minister of Transport, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that he was confident that Atiku would defeat President Muhammadu Buhari to return PDP to power.

NAN reports that Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had defeated former President Goodluck in 2015 to break the PDP’s 16-year-rule and emerge president.

Babatope said Atiku was an experienced politician and that he had the capacity, credentials and clout to win and return power to PDP.

“Atiku is the new face of the PDP. It is time for the party to win back power because I am confident Atiku will win.

“My confidence is based on his political experience from being the founder of the PDM with late Yar’adua to being the Vice-President where he did very well.

“He also has national appeal as he is a detribalised Nigerian with successful businesses all over. He is a bridge builder, a man with great capacity and passion to lead.

“Atiku is the next president. Our People want him. He will rescue Nigeria, I am so sure he will win,” he said.

Asked if the former vice-president did not have the ascribed qualities when he failed in his past attempts to be president, Babatope said everyone had his appointed time.

He noted that Buhari also failed in his past attempts under different parties to be president until 2015 when he emerged under APC.

Babatope said 2019 was the destined year for Atiku’s presidency and that Nigerians would be better for it.

He said the selection of former governor Peter Obi of Anambra State as Atiku’s running mate would improve the party’s victory margin in the election.

He added that the APC had failed Nigerians and that the PDP would return in 2019 “to restore hope”.

Babatope said though the South-West PDP was not in the zoning equation of the party for now, he believed the region would gain massively at the end of the day.

“We know how we do our things in the party to favour everybody. For now, we are preparing for the election, by the time we win, I am sure the South-West PDP will gain big from the power arrangement,” he said. (NAN)

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