 As former Vice President Atikua Bubakar emerges the presidential candidate for the People's Democratic Party PDP, some groups express their displeasure. And crisis reportedly erupts in the all-progressive Congress APC over its presidential primaries as new chairman, Senator Abdullahi Mahadamu, is accused of refusing to implement the national community's decisions. Well, this is PlusPolitics, I am very unequal. Former Vice President Atikua Bubakar emerged the presidential candidates of the People's Democratic Party PDP for the 2023 elections in the party primaries held over the weekend. He won with a total vote of 371 votes out of the 767 accredited votes to defeat his closest rival, the river state governor, Nyesum Wike, who polled 237 votes. However, with Atikua being a norsen, clenching the ticket at a time when souths and elders are asking for a presidency, therefore leaders in the south and central regions in the country under the auspices of the southern and middle belt forum have described Atikua's win as an affront to the people of the south, and they have asked politicians in the region to reject any nomination for the office of the vice president. Well, joining us to discuss this is Samoan Manosike, the executive chairman of Iquiria Local Government Area in River State, and Ahmed Bahari, former presidential candidate of Sustainable National Party of Nigeria SMP. Thank you so much, gentlemen, for joining us. Thank you for having me. Great. Thank you. Great. I'll start with you, Samoan. Let's look at what transpired over the weekend in Abuja with the emergence of the former vice president, Atikua Bubaka. For some people, it came as a surprise. For some others, it's something that they expected being that he had been emerging for the past three election cycles as the flag-bearer for the People's Democratic Party, but then your principle was in the running for that ticket. Were you surprised? No, no, no. Why would I be surprised? I'm a politician. I'm a member of the People's Democratic Party. We went to the program. We went with our whole mind and our body as politicians, and as politicians, we always tell ourselves, we'll go for every election that we win, until we get to the floor of the house and things go the other way. The money top will continue. For us, what's important is the party. Like I said earlier, the government has to look at it as a strategy, that in the transparent process, whoever emerge, he will work for the party. You know, repeatedly the way they go, when he was received by the group of reverse states, with a rousing welcome, it turned out clearly that he stands for the party and that it's unfortunate that the same certain elders who are clamoring for power to be brought back to the south, failed to have the mechanism of calling those people that have been elected as governors from the southern states to come and stand by and do that, which they have told the people of the south that they will do. So are you insinuating that the southern governors, are you saying that southern governors didn't? It was clear that there was an accepted candidate, not for the stepping down of Tambua in that election, when the process had begun. He was cruising to victory, and I think he himself confirmed it. Even his supporters and followers had to go specially go and thank Tambua, who gave up his own votes and told his people to turn their votes to Atukua Mubaka. So that's what changed the narrative. And who gave up the glory, were not put out. But nobody is going to deceive anybody in the south that southern is not taking the position. There's no position anybody is taking. Because if we are actually taking position, the governors from the south who voted against the southern candidate, who knew they had the capacity and the competence to manage the resources of Nigeria and to bring victory to the role of Nigeria, who I would have done it before, they would have to stick with him, they would have. But that is history now, as politicians who work for our party, who work for the People's Democratic Party to win, and by the grace of God almighty, they will have got to be done in our lives. I just want to push you further. You talked about the southern leaders not standing by their southern candidate. I mean, we saw Governor Fiashe also in the running. We saw Governor Odom Emmanuel of Oqiba also being in the running. Of course, you'd expect their delegates to support their governors. But again, when you say that there is no position by southern leaders, what does that mean? And all that you've said is anything to go by. What does that also say about you and the people in the south? Are we really ready for this presidency that we have all been agitating for? We're not really at some point. Because it doesn't make sense that a governor from the south will sit with his colleague governors and take a position and say, this is what we want at Soutanas. They call it the first meeting. In fact, the first meeting was called in one of the Soutanas, who decided to vote the other way. In his own state was the first place where a position was taken. And he, after standing strong to host the southern governors and taking a position, he ended up showing to the people of Soutanas. He was just deceiving them. He was interested in his personal gain. Because it is clear from the statements that were made by General Milai a while ago in a program called Generalist Hangar to TVC, he said clearly that the state governor, in the case of the state governor, voted for Atukua to work 100%. So when you look at the trajectory of the election, imagine a governor term, and governor Kowa, and the governor passed a state closing ranks with the governor of Cuba states. What would have been the results? Okay. The governor of Soutanas would have won. So for us, that boy is not aware that this election is not for him to win. But he has decided to play the game he wants to play without his rights. He has decided to play the game he wants to play to set the interest and he thinks he should start. But it's a lesson for us to be sad to learn. So if you are concerned, if there's no reason we can ask the governor of Cuba states, he never came to this race because he was a Satan. It was the Satan governors and their team that agreed that this is the turn of the South. And so we must stand out to support one of our own. Okay. All right. I want to take clear this. For the other governors, all of our brothers from the South, like the Southwest, who stood out to say we will stand with the truth. Nobody can change the go-posts in the middle of the march. No document there. We have the records. We know them. And as young politicians, we will have it in our mind to tell the history and the stories of what transpired a few nights ago. All right. All right. Let me go to Mr. Bohari. Mr. Bohari, looking at the caliber of persons who were running for that particular ticket on the platform of the People's Democratic Party, including someone you supported firmly, did they really stand the chance, as opposed to the former vice president, who some would say has had a long political history and, of course, somewhat may reverberate across the country? So I think one of the things that has been important to me is the fact that all the other politicians were running again and aspirants were fleeing to the primary court seven times. And so that actually distinguishes him from most of them who were given the shot up for the first time. And here, he used to be an expert in this game. But more than anything, what I want us to realign is that even though he had more proficiency than the rest of them, that was the major reason why those of us who were collaborating for the emergence of the Southeast president were saying very mentally that we wanted the parties to join the 2023 elections in the Southeast to be seen as to make it very easy for the entire country to work together for the emergence of the Southeast government. Do not forget, in 1999, there was a lot of education from the South West. And as a result of those educations, the country came together and presented two South Westerners, two little women, at the end of the election. We showed them what to do. And in 2010, finally, what to do, we have a shelter in some countries and stopping, requesting that they collaborate and present in the Southeast. And at that time, we will meet with Mr. Mohamed Buhari. I think that we're having connection problems with your line, Mr. Buhari. So I'm going to go back to Mr. Wanusike. You know, and then we will hopefully get you back to continue. So Mr. Wanusike, let me come to the issue of former Senate President, I am Pius, I am. Now, he put out a statement, of course. He congratulated former Vice President, Atikua Bubaka, on his winning the party tickets for the PDP. But he also spoke about, you know, issues within the party. In fact, he spoke about, you know, considerations for voting a president in the party. He talked about burning issues that Nigerians within the party were not focusing on burning issues. He said that instead, they were focusing on old, primordial sentiments, and these are his words. So I ask, if what he speaks of during the primaries, if this is what has been happening at the PDP, if he came down to us looking at burning issues as spoken about by these particular candidates, do you think that maybe certain people would have had more votes at the end of the day? Because I mean, I listened to all of the speeches, and so many of these candidates had very interesting speeches. But is it really about speaking on these burning issues or about the capacity and ability to carry out, you know, or bring solutions to the table? Well, let me say clearly, by as I am, he's an elder, and so I would choose my words as a former Senate president where he on the somewhere he's speaking from. But for the PDP of today, the only problem we had was that there were those who decided to shift the go-pods at the middle of the match they wanted to a little power. Our worry as young members of the party is clear. Democracy is in three fronts. Construction of the federal book of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, and the construction of the party. And then the construction of the party says that in every time there's an election or an electionary contest that for equity and justice and fairness, power should be zoned, denoted or disowned. It was based on this concept that in 2017 prior to the 2019 election, the PDP met and zoned the presidential candidate to denot. And that's why those certain candidates showed interest. But why? All these matters we're discussing now are issues of the past, and concern. What do you mean by no certain candidates showed interest? In 2019 PDP primaries no certain candidates showed interest. It was a battle between the notarists. And we backed Amino Tambua. It is a known story, a known fact and you are aware that the governor even made enemies because of the aspiration of Amino Tambua of the other states. But ironically, Amino Tambua is the one that came and turned the table when he has seen clearly after the 2019 meeting in Abuja that even the non-tarn delegates were telling them clearly that they are interested to vote Governor Zaboyesom. We are aware of all the late night policies that were heard in the houses of notar leaders, both military former military leaders and even current notar leaders working themselves in different places in Abuja and different parts of the North and looking for formulas to the sludge of Governor Zaboyesom who in their own state I'm going to ask my question again in case you didn't get my question. My question was the former senate president is saying that voting was based on burning issues as opposed to prime model sentiments that then of course it would be free for incredible and the right people will emerge as much as he congratulated that he said that these votes were based on sentiments. Now I'm asking if it came down to voting based on burning issues I mean because like I said lots of people had very interesting things to say the only thing that voters should go by I want to say clearly to you man and for answering this question because I think I've answered it maybe it suits you. See, that's what we call party primaries and it's electionary it is called internal party contest in internal party contest you throw issues to convince party followers and party members it's different from the issues you raise what you have to do with the general election I want you to get that clear. The issues he's calling prime model sentiments if he's saying that he has not contributed enough in the party yes people will talk about it if we say that he has abandoned the party in the past when the party had crisis yes people will talk about it if he has a constitution that says power should be either zone to the north or to the south we must talk about it because if we're not having a constitution then it will be foolish for us to talk about it so there is only a primordial sentiment in votes the voting process is convincing party members because in the overall interest of the party is supreme in every of our presidential candidates are qualified to be president of Nigeria as we speak but when you have two teams one must be better than one okay so we are happy that even the man who today has claimed the ticket of the party has confessed that in all his political life for the very first time a young man from the south has stood all tall have been accepted far not have been accepted far west I think that we have Mr. Ahmad Buhari back, Ahmad can you hear me oh my goodness I think we lost him again but let's move on to other issues let's look at the issues of 2023 I mean in 2022 we're all getting set for the elections come next year and at this point in our history again what should be front and centre for our political aspirants whether they be running for governorship whether they be running for presidency House of Representatives because again we see that the delegate system is what finally throws up whoever the party feels as a candidate and then of course the voters are the messy of whoever the party you know feels for us and so we have to pick the lesser of evils permit me to use that word loosely but should we not in any way be talking about how educated enough the delegates in political parties should be sensitive also enough to be able to pick the right person again not just because of what they have done within the party but if they're capable to run a country I ask because we have President Buhari who everybody literally everybody spoke up for and said oh he's capable of doing certain things and changing the course of things in Nigeria I'm wondering has he been able to fulfill that and if the PDP and every other party does not look at that from a delegate system will we really be able to get the Nigeria of our dreams well it is obvious like you say it is true that most of the delegates need to be properly educated because I believe if to have high level of awareness most times it will be difficult for it to compare people to do what is based on ethnic, nationality or religious orientation and so it is very very important that the political education must be passed of the things they can be aware of what is expected of them having said this we must understand what is in democracy if we truly want to practice this democracy which is a borrowed culture which we understand that is even the best simplest form for them to govern themselves we shouldn't borrow some parts and no for instance in the American system when they say American party these are our rules and our regulation they speak to it when they say in the democratic party these are our rules and our regulation these are our ideas they speak to it we are saying that people should please allow the rule of the political party stand you don't change the goal post at the middle of any match it's not acceptable and I think what we see going on this country will only change if a lot of leaders stand up to say never again will we allow ethnic sentiment religious sentiment and the color of a man's skin and his tongue decide our conscience during voting no we should be able to look at people who are content of their character their capacity and their sincerity when they say they can do a job because all the presidents they have not done any one no one, not one and that's why we are saying all these candidates put together who have worked with him none of them are qualified to be president of Nigeria because they were there with him when he had the opportunity to manage Nigeria's resources for eight years all right, let me try again I think we now have Mr. Ahmed Bohari Mr. Bohari can you hear me yes I can hear you quickly I just want to squeeze in two questions to you I pose the question to Mr. Wanaseeke the person that you supported former senate president Ayum Parish Ayum had raised an issue with sentiments, primordial sentiments within the party and this was one of the primaries that ended over the weekend and he talked about looking at burning issues and we're also looking at the scores during the primaries so I'm asking if it came down to it if what he's saying was anything to go by do you think he would have garnered more votes and secondly many have actually questioned the PDP's strategy in winning 2023 with an ordinary candidate emerging and also people have been pushing for southern candidates and of course many are saying let different political parties zone tickets to the south in fact there are several groups who have said that they will not support any political party that fields an ordinary candidate come 2023 so with those two questions I'd like to hear your thoughts so this is what I think I think the PDP put together a very transparent exercise the primaries was clean, it was open however the players played the politics the way they did from my own perspective as much as I have been primary for the emergence of an evil president on the day of the election I could clearly see that the south wasn't prepared to win that election I'll give you an example one of the master's troops on that day was when someone clearly said he was giving his support to Asif Abu Bakr now what I would have expected from the southern contestant was for them to quickly rally around each other and agree to support one of themselves if they had done that would have a fierce battle but it didn't happen and so the delegates were convinced that whoever is going to likely win this is not to forget that there are some delegates from the north who voted for VK similarly there were delegates from the south who voted for Artiku again my only result to all of this is the fact that Artiku is as clearly proven in some way nationally over the years so this kind of gives me some comfort believing that more than anything else the country needs a unifier right now this unifier is somebody that is going to make us remember that we are first Nigerians before we are any tribe or religion so my appeal to all sides of the device is that we should look forward towards progress towards peace towards unity and towards the nation quickly let me ask you this this is not the first time like I said in my opening that the former vice president is emerging he's been emerging every single time and he has lost and that's why I ask that question but again is the PDP again setting itself up for failure and what's the guarantee that Artiku will win that position so like I said in the beginning Artiku Abu Bakar has emerged as presented himself for the primary election seven times and out of the seven times he only emerged in 2019 and now 2022 so it's important for us to get this correctly to know that in all the time he has tried this he's only been lucky to emerge twice in 2019 and then this time around and those two times he also was unable to win the general election so I ask again is the PDP setting itself up for failure or what has changed number two Ari won the election the primary election four times before he eventually emerged as president so again these are all the dynamics of the policy the fact that he has tried it seven times and emerged just twice it is very very possible that he could win this time around you don't forget that it's going to be contested against APC and APC has got to put this game correctly otherwise Ajikum might just eventually be called a president so we look for it okay well unfortunately our time is fast spent I want to say thank you Ahmad Buhari is a former presidential candidate of sustainable national party of Nigeria S&P and of course Samarwanaseke is the local government chairman of the local government thank you so much gentlemen for being part of the conversation thank you for having me thank you all for staying with us we'll take a quick break and when we return we'll be discussing the upcoming APC primaries and the strategies and plans it is going to be deploying for the coming election stay with us