Saraki reacts to reports that he betrayed Atiku by declaring for President

Senate President Bukola Saraki has said that his declaration to run for President does not mean that he betrayed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Saraki 's spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu said this while reacting to reports that his boss betrayed Atiku who rallied support for him to become the Senate President, according to The Nation.

Olaniyonu also said that all presidential aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are working together to ensure the process of picking a candidate is free and fair.

The Senate President's aide said “No aspirant’s presidential quest is a betrayal of any others.

“Betrayal? How? Was there an agreement that ‘you will support me for this, I will support you for that?

“Were they not in different political parties before?

“We know that some people have an agenda in all this; they have an agenda on everything concerning Senator Saraki and there is no point responding to whatever misinformation they wish to spread.

“There is no betrayal whatsoever between the two eminent citizens.

“Are Governor Tambuwal and Senator Saraki not even much closer than the relationship between the former Vice President and the Senate President?

“Governor Tambuwal and Senator Saraki are more of brothers but as true democrats, the two of them are in this race and they do not have any problem with one another over it; whoever wins the presidential ticket would get the support of the other.

“The agreement that they are working on now is such that whoever wins the PDP presidential primaries, all of them will rally to support whoever wins.

“In fact, what all of the PDP presidential aspirants are concentrating on is that they will all work together and ensure that there is an open, free and fair presidential primaries.

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“They are trying to ensure that the process is very free and fair for all and that whoever emerges will not be a source of bitterness because the outcome would have been the result of a genuine process.

“PDP presidential aspirants are working together to ensure that all of them forge a united front and that there will be no reason for the ruling party to see any of them as a potential ally.

“They are working for a credible process and all of them are going to support the eventual winner.”

Senate President Bukola Saraki formally declared his intention to run for President in 2019 on August 30, 2018, at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.