2019: PDP confirms plan to choose consensus candidate from Saraki, Atiku, 11 others

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, said it had set up a 12-member committee to discuss with the party’s 13 presidential aspirants, in order to pick one of them as consensus candidate.

It, however, did not disclose the members of the committee.

Those in the race for the presidential ticket of the PDP are: former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwabo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; former Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang; and former President of the Senate, David Mark.

Others are: former Minister Special Duties Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki; former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; Mr. Stanley Osifo and a former Senator, Baba Datti Ahmed.

The BoT chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, told This Day that the committee would try to convince the aspirants about the dangers of having such a large number aspirants in the race.

Jibrin insisted that the committee would not compel any of the aspirants to withdraw from the race, but rather, “they would be persuaded to put the interest of the party above their personal interests and ambitions”.

He said: “A committee has been set up to discuss with all the aspirants to come up with one of them as a consensus candidate. We have 13 of them in the race.

“We have also advised the leadership of the party to regulate the processes and draw a code of conduct to guide the conduct and behaviour of the aspirants and officials to be engaged in the selection process.

“Consequently, the BoT has forwarded its full recommendations to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP for consideration.”