2011: North Working On Producing Single Candidate- Atiku

PHOTO: FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT, ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR.

JOS, Sept 20, (THEWILL) - Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has confirmed that northern Nigeria is working on producing a single candidate for the 2011 presidential election.

He told Journalists while on a visit to Wase in Plateau State over the demise of the Emir that the process of negotiation towards picking a single candidate among those of them who have signified interest in contesting the next presidential elections from the north is on.

The former vice president is in the race for the presidency alongside, former military president Ibrahim Babangida, former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, national security adviser Aliyu Gusau and a few other northern politicians.

The former vice president who has been an advocate for the retention of the power sharing arrangement said the arrangement was worked out due to the diversity of the country.

He insisted that any political arrangement that contradicts the power sharing agreement can threaten the unity and well being of the country.

"Those arrangements must be respected if we are to survive and thrive as a nation. We must talk to one another. We must tolerate one another. We must build trust and conquer our fear."

He urged Nigerians to elect only those who genuinely believe in peaceful coexistence. "We should elect the leader who genuinely believes in the unity and stability of this country. It must be a leader who has the experience and understands the nuances and peculiarities of our country and how to navigate its fault lines in a way that will not undermine our journey to true nationhood.

"It must be a leader who can bring hope to Nigeria and pride to our sons and daughters in the Diaspora who are daily ridiculed and caricatured for what our dear country has turned out to be instead of what its abundant resources destined it to be," Atiku said.