The presidential aspirants jostling for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have turned down advice from governors and national leadership of the party to present a consensus candidate and are insisting on primaries.
This emerged following a Tuesday meeting between the governors and the presidential aspirants which held at the private residence of Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose in Abuja.
The meeting presided by Fayose was said to have held following a Sunday night meeting of PDP governors in which they resolved to meet the presidential aspirants and urge them to work together to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus was also said to have attended the meeting, where he encouraged the aspirants to work together and insisted that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had no preferred candidate.
Fayose was said to have also encouraged the aspirants to work together to present a united front against Buhari.
However, he told the aspirants that while the governors would love to see them work together, that suggestion was not binding on them.
A source privy to the meeting was quoted by The Punch as saying, “It was a family gathering where all those present voiced out their mind on the need to have a credible and acceptable presidential primary.
“Fayose, who with Secondus presided over the meeting, was very calm and told the aspirants that what should be paramount to them all is how to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari and not the individual ambition of the aspirants.
“He also told them that the party would have preferred a consensus arrangement, but still informed them that such was not binding on them. He said it was the right of anyone who had picked forms to take part in the presidential primary.
“But he begged the aspirants to work together at the end of the primary.”
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Presidential aspirants present at the meeting include former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; a former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido; a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki (SAN).
Also at the meeting were former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang; a former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; a former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Others were President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, and a former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark.
But Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo was absent.
One of the attendees, Senate President Bukola Saraki took to Twitter to announce the outcome of the meeting, revealing that primaries will hold.
He said, “We just concluded a successful meeting of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) residential aspirants with the party leadership and State Governors.
“I am proud of the level of collaboration, commitment and camaraderie amongst all those in attendance.
“There was a general determination and commitment to ensure that the party holds successful, credible and transparent presidential primaries that Nigeria will be proud of. We remain a happy family — flying the flag of democracy!”