The former Vice President said this during a town hall meeting with stakeholders in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
Atiku was accompanied to the event by dignitaries which included the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu; former Vice President, Namadi Sambo; Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom); Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Senate Minority Leader, Phillip Aduda.
Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, former Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun); Liyel Imoke (Cross River); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); the governorship candidate of the party in the state, Ladi Adebutu and his deputy Adekunle Akinlade and the Lagos state governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, also graced the event.
While reeling out conditions the PDP members must fulfill before they can reap the benefits, including appointments and contracts, from his government when he becomes the president, Atiku insisted that leaders at all levels must ensure that the PDP emerge victorious in their various polling units.
Atiku’s words: “You are all members of the PDP and supporters of the PDP, you want PDP to return to power, please I beg of you, make sure you win your polling booths.
“The fact that you are following the gubernatorial candidate or the senatorial candidate or the house of reps candidate or the presidential candidate to campaigns is no qualification that you will get an appointment. It is not a qualification that you will get a contract whether at the local government level, state, or federal level.
“The only way as far as I’m concerned if I’m president, if you come and say you want a job or you want a contract, I will ask you to let me have the result of your polling booth and that is what I’m going to direct to everybody because unless we do that we will not win the elections.
“You cannot be following the governor all the place or the senator all the place and then you don’t win your polling booth and you come and say you want to be a minister or you want to get this contract.
“So, please as members of our party let us make sure that we go back to our constituencies and make sure that we deliver our polling units.”