‘It confirms your tenacity’ — Atiku congratulates Tinubu on winning APC ticket

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has congratulated Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor, on clinching the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Wednesday, Tinubu polled 1,271 votes to defeat 13 other presidential hopefuls.

Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation and top contender, polled 316 votes, while Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo got 235 votes. 

Senate President Ahmad Lawan, the ”consensus candidate” of Abdullahi Adamu, APC national chairman, polled 152 votes, while Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, got 47 votes.

In a statement, Abubakar, a former vice-president, described the primary that produced Tinubu as APC candidate as a “hard-fought contest.”

“Congratulations, Bola Tinubu on your emergence as your party’s presidential candidate,” he wrote on Twitter.

“It has been a hard-fought contest, but that you prevailed confirms your tenacity.”

On May 28, the former vice-president was elected as the candidate of the PDP with 371 votes, after defeating Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers and his closest challenger, who secured 237 votes.

Tinubu, in a congratulatory message after the primary, had described Abubakar as a “worthy opponent”.