PDP throws presidential ticket open
•Aspirants meet A’Ibom gov over consensus candidate
•Zoning committee to submit report to NWC
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja and Isaac Job
Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its presidential ticket open, The Trumpet has authoritatively gathered.
A close source who sat on the committee confided in The Trumpet that the contest is going to be a free for all. The source further revealed that the committee settled for an open ticket option following a disagreement over which zone to produce the party’s standard-bearer.
He disclosed that members eventually succumbed to the suggestion when it was argued that it was the way out after the party had allowed aspirants to obtain nomination forms.
This, he said, would reduce rancour among aspirants and to minimize post – primary election crisis. Meanwhile, the Governor Samuel Ortom-led zoning committee told journalists at the end of the committee meeting in Abuja that a decision has been reached and its report will be submitted to the National Working Committee (NWC) which in turn will call a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to ratify or reject the report. Ortom who addressed the press said “we have unanimously adopted a position and our recommendation will be submitted to the leadership of the party.”
Meanwhile, all PDP presidential aspirants have met at Akwa Ibom State Government House to fine-tune arrangement for a consensus candidate ahead o thef 2023 primaries of the party next month. Sources at the meeting said that it was meant for the aspirants to arrive at a common front and unite for an agreed aspirant acceptable to all of them.
The source who pleaded anonymity explained that the aspirants have continued to close in on their goal of uniting the party across the nation by forming a common front and fielding a consensus presidential candidate for the 2023 elections in their quest towards saving the nation from further decay.
It was further learnt that the delegation at the meeting included the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former President of the Senate Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Alhaji Muhammad Hayatuddeen, with Governor Udom Emmanuel as the host.
The team had earlier visited the Edo and Delta states ,pleading the same course of consensus candidacy.
Commenting on the meeting, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, affirmed his support for the “One Nigeria” course and stressed the need to build a team of patriots to tackle the nation’s challenges .
According to him, the task of rescuing Nigeria was “ beyond individualism and partisanship, rather , it required a team that could wake up and say “enough of certain things “and then put things in the right perspectives.
Governor Emmanuel described the delegation as a people that love Nigeria, maintaining that they look forward to what can be made out of the country’s bad situation at the moment.
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“This is the time we have to look inwards and reappraise, then look at certain things we must do right “ “We don’t have any other country to go to. That’s the whole essence of all the meetings.”
He said Speaking on behalf of the delegation after a closed-door meeting, Dr. Bukola Saraki appreciated the Governor of Akwa Ibom State for playing host to the delegation and lauded his patriotism and commitment to uniting the party and for championing the ‘One Nigeria’ agenda.
Saraki described Governor Emmanuel as a key stakeholder in the party and said the meeting was to brief the Akwa Ibom Governor and one of the party’s Presidential hopeful on the resolve to put the interest of the country first in their quest for the top job and to unite the party.
