Atiku, Wike, Saraki, 11 others go for broke as PDP primary begins
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal; and a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, are among the frontline presidential aspirants who will contest the primary of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party today (Saturday).
Others are Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed; a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; a former Senate President, Pius Anyim; Diana Teriela, the only woman in the race; former FSB Managing Director, Muhammed Hayatu-Deen; media mogul, Dele Momodu; a pharmacist, Sam Ohuabunwa; Charles Ugwu and Chikwendu Kalu.
Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, who had been screened to participate in the primary, has since defected to the Labour Party.
The election is likely going to be a contest between Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal and Wike.Many of the delegates, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said the party must consider who could win the presidential election among the aspirants.
One of them said, “The principal idea behind the decision of the party to throw the presidential contest open to all the six geopolitical zones is to ensure that the PDP does not deprive itself of the best candidate who can win the presidency for us in 2023. Every political party wants to win elections.
“This was the reason why the national leadership of the party refused to zone the ticket to any of the six geo-political zones in the country. I am sure you know that the PDP won the last presidential election. That is why we want Atiku back as our candidate.”Search
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Atiku, Wike, Saraki, 11 others go for broke as PDP primary begins
Eniola Akinkuotu, Deborah Tolu-Kolawole, Abiodun Sanusi and El-ameen Ibrahim
28 May 2022
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Atiku, Wike, Saraki
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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal; and a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, are among the frontline presidential aspirants who will contest the primary of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party today (Saturday).
Others are Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed; a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; a former Senate President, Pius Anyim; Diana Teriela, the only woman in the race; former FSB Managing Director, Muhammed Hayatu-Deen; media mogul, Dele Momodu; a pharmacist, Sam Ohuabunwa; Charles Ugwu and Chikwendu Kalu.
Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, who had been screened to participate in the primary, has since defected to the Labour Party.
The election is likely going to be a contest between Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal and Wike.
Many of the delegates, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said the party must consider who could win the presidential election among the aspirants.
One of them said, “The principal idea behind the decision of the party to throw the presidential contest open to all the six geopolitical zones is to ensure that the PDP does not deprive itself of the best candidate who can win the presidency for us in 2023. Every political party wants to win elections.
"This was the reason why the national leadership of the party refused to zone the ticket to any of the six geo-political zones in the country. I am sure you know that the PDP won the last presidential election. That is why we want Atiku back as our candidate.”
When one of our correspondents visited the campaign offices of some of the aspirants in Abuja, they were brimming with activities.
The liaison houses of some state governments, whose governors are also in the race, were decorated with the campaign insignia of the respective governors.
The state liaison houses of Sokoto, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Rivers states at Asokoro were busy with activities.
A source, however, said the refusal of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to sign the amended version of the Electoral Act, 2022 had affected the planning of some of the aspirants.
"If the new Act had been signed, it would have increased the chances of some of the governors, because members of the National Assembly from their states would have been among the delegates and they would have lined up behind their governors,” another source said.
Before the new order, there were more delegates from the southern parts of the country on account of the fact that the PDP controls more states in the South.
However, with the exclusion of statutory delegates and with the provision that only elected delegates, one from each local government area, are eligible to vote during today’s convention, there is a shift in the balance of power between the North, with more local government areas, and the South.
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