SOKOTO State governor Aminu Tambuwal has rejected the selection of a former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed as consensus candidates for the People Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary election.
Some Northern elders of the PDP had on Friday endorsed Saraki and Mohammed as consensus candidates for the party’s presidential primaries.
The group announced the decision after a meeting with a former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida in Minna.
However, Tambuwal has kicked against the development, saying he will go ahead with his presidential ambition.
The governor said he is ready to face the screening panel having submitted his presidential nomination form.
He insisted that the quest for a consensus arrangement has failed.
Speaking through a statement released by the Director of the Tambuwal Campaign Organisation (TCO), Nicholas Msheliza, the Sokoto governor asked the public to disregard reports that Saraki and Mohammed have emerged as consensus candidates of the party.
The statement said, “The attention of Tambuwal Campaign Organization (TCO) 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 State.
“This is, to be candid and forthright, not correct. The correct situation is that the team met on Wednesday 20th April, 2022, at Bauchi Governor’s lodge in Abuja and had a review meeting; and, unanimously agreed that the consensus arrangement was not working.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Gov. Tambuwal has submitted his presidential nomination forms and 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 Governor of Sokoto state.”
'Niyi worked with The ICIR as an Investigative Reporter and Fact-checker from 2020 till September 2022. You can shoot him an email via [email protected]. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @niyi_oyedeji.