Atiku has intelligence, experience to win presidency in 2023, says Fintiri

Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa, says Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, has the “intelligence” to win the 2023 presidential election.

In recent times, there have been speculations that Abubakar, who was the 2019 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is eyeing the party’s 2023 presidential ticket.

The speculations are coming amid the heightened calls that the next PDP presidential ticket should be zoned to the southern region of the country.

Asked if he will supporting the former vice president, Fintiri, in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, said he would support Atiku if he gets the presidential ticket.

“I’m a supporter of everybody and he (referring to Atiku) is a leader. He is my father; he is a leader to everybody in PDP. He is our last presidential candidate and if given the opportunity again, I will support him,” he said.

“By every intention you can read all over, you know that he has the experience and the intelligence to run and win the election and deliver properly.

“If he is given the ticket by my party, I will not deny him. I will ensure that I will deliver him and I will work across this country to sell him and market him to every Nigerian who believes in him and also believes in me.”

Asked if his support for Atiku validates the concept of zoning, Fintiri said he wishes that the PDP would make the 2023 presidential ticket open to everyone.

“We have just zoned the party’s offices. We would soon again come back to take the decision on the presidency and Fintiri alone does not constitute the body that would take the decision on the zoning for the presidency for my party,” he said.

“I so wish that it would become open because the problem of Nigeria is not about zoning. It is for us to look for a credible candidate, anywhere that person comes from.

“Irrespective of religion or tribe, what Nigerians are after today is to have a good leader; a good leader that would be able to deliver on the economy, that would be able to deliver on our security, that would impact on human development; a good leader that would be able to deploy the kind of infrastructure that we need in this country, that can roll out the economy properly so that the country can take its position in the comity of nations.”