April 23, (THEWILL) – The drive to produce a northern consensus presidential candidate, ahead of the May 28 Presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been rejected by one of the Presidential aspirants, Aminu Tambuwal.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday night by his campaign platform, the Tambuwal Campaign Organisation (TCO).
THEWILL earlier reported that the Northern Leaders in a communique signed by former Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, had on Friday, shortlisted former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State as two leading presidential aspirants to represent the zone in the PDP presidential primary.
Prof. Abdullahi had said that four PDP presidential aspirants, including Saraki, Mohammed; Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal and the former Managing Director of FSB International Bank, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen, submitted themselves for the drive towards a consensus candidate
The Northern leaders had said their decision on Saraki and Bala Mohammed was arrived at based on certain criteria adopted in the assessment of the four aspirants who submitted themselves for the exercise.
Abdulllahi on behalf of the Northern leaders urged Saraki and Bala Mohammed to work together to make allowance for further consultations “to foster understanding among themselves, and the PDP community to ensure a rancour-free primary in which all eligible delegates would be free to exercise their right”.
But TCO, in the statement signed by its Director of Organisation and Mobilisation, Nicholas Msheliza, said that the quest for a consensus candidate by the team had failed.
Msheliza also denied reports that Saraki and Gov. Mohammed had emerged as the group’s consensus candidate.
“Our attention has been drawn to a news item that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Gov. Bala Muhammad of Bauchi State have emerged as consensus candidates from amongst the four of us announced at a meeting in Minna, Niger.
`This, to be candid and forthright, is not correct”, he said.
Msheliza said that the correct situation was that the team met on Wednesday April, 20 at Bauchi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja and had a review meeting and unanimously agreed that the consensus arrangement was not working.
He said that the team further agreed that Saraki should come up with a draft statement on how to communicate this decision to Nigerians.
“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 p.m. of the same day was aborted unilaterally by Sen. Saraki via a WhatsApp message.
“However, on Thursday, 21st April, 2022, the same Sen. Saraki circulated yet another WhatsApp message suggesting that members of the team should head to Minna for a meeting on Friday.
“Gov. Tambuwal reached other members of the team and informed them that he stands by the decision of the team that the initiative is not working.
“This is the reason Gov. Tambuwal was absent at today’s (Friday) meeting in Minna.
“As a result, therefore, the outcome of the Minna meeting has no consequence or any implication on the aspiration of Gov. Tambuwal who had earlier on informed his colleagues of maintaining their agreed position that the initiative has collapsed”, he said.
Msheliza reminded Nigerians that what was canvassed for was a consensus candidate and not consensus candidates.
He said that for the avoidance of doubts, Tambuwal had submitted his presidential nomination forms.
“Now that the quest for a consensus candidate out of the four has clearly collapsed, will go ahead and face screening and indeed contest the PDP presidential primaries.
“This is in consonance with his acclaimed outlook as a pan-Nigerian candidate, with pedigree of national service as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, life member of the Body of Benchers and now in his second and final term as the Governor of Sokoto state”, the TCO statement added.
