The selection of two aspirants,Bukola Saraki and Bala Mohammed as consensus candidates for the North on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) by the Northern Elders Forum ( NEF) has received reactions from fellow aspirants and supporters.
On Friday, Spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum( NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi,had at a meeting in Minna,Niger State with former Head of State,Gen Ibrahim Babangida said that the criteria of selection of the two aspirants was done according to candidates assessment,zonal assessment and PDP previous experiences.
A few hours after the report, the Technical Campaign Commitee for Atiku Abubakar said its aspirant was not part of the consensus arrangement “Therefore,, he is not bound by any of the recommendations and conclusions of the purported report
” Waziri Atiku Abubakar as a nationalist strongly believes that Nigeria has never been divided as it is today, and any regional,zonal,ethno- religious gang up or consensus- driven in in this manner will further deepen and widen the wounds that urgently require to be healed.”It said.
Reacting also to the endorsement of his consensus partners, the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said the consensus arrangement died during the meeting of Wednesday,22 April 2022, at the Bauchi Governor’s lodge in Abuja where the consensus was reviewed and it was unanimously agreed that the arrangement was not working..
Tambuwal who spoke through the Tambuwal Campaign Organization TCO’s Director General, Nicholas Msheilza accused Saraki of being behind the purported endorsement.
” The team further agreed that Saraki should come up with a draft statement on how to communicate this decision to the Nigerian public.This was the last time that members of the team sat and mutually agreed on anything. The proposed meeting to review and vet the statement scheduled for 10 pm of the same day was aborted unilaterally by Saraki via a WhatsApp message.”
Also, not in agreement with the endorsement of Saraki and Mohammed as consensus candidates for the north is former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido.
Lamido in a statement on Saturday said those who issued the report of endorsement merely expressed their personal opinion and not the position of members of the PDP in the entire 19 states of the north, saying discussions are ongoing with all the aspirants with a view to having a hitch- free National Convention.
. His statement reads:
The attention of key “stakeholders of the PDP in the Northern State is drawn to reports in the Media that some Northern Elders have shortlisted two of our prominent and deserving aspirants as consensus PDP Presidential Candidates*
“Having widely consulted Party Leaders across the 19 Northern States and FCT, it is hereby stated to our teeming Party members and the general public that what is reported in the Media is only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the North! Discussions are ongoing with ALL the aspirants in our Party with a view to having a National Consensus if possible or atleast working towards having a smooth acrimony free National Convention.
“The position of the Northern Elders is not only injurious to the North but equally injurious to the Northern Aspirants!
His Excellency, Alh. Sule Lamido
23/4/2022.
