PDP picks presidential candidate Saturday

The leading opposition People’s Democratic  Party (PDP) will today elect its presidential candidate at its national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The winner will face President Muhammadu Buhari, who emerged candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP has 13 presidential aspirants, including serving and ex governors, senators and an ex minister.

The aspirants include former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo; Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi and former Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.

Others are;  former senate president, David Mark; former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa;  former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang; Founder of Baze University, Sen. Datti Baba-Ahmed and Mr. Stanley Osifo.

Efforts by the PDP BoT led by Senator Walid Jibrin to produce a consensus candidate met a brick wall. The choice of Port Harcourt as venue of the convention had equally nearly split the PDP, with some of the aspirants and their supporters, as well as a section of the BoT and the NWC, sensed alleged plans by some PDP governors to use the venue and work for the success of a certain candidate.

But to allay their fears,  the PDP said last week that it would give all its  presidential aspirants the privilege to send two nominees of their choice into the party’s electoral committee ahead of the convention.  The party had also resolved to publish the list of all delegates who would vote at the convention.  It said the decision was part of strategies to ensure a transparent and credible convention where the party’s presidential candidate would emerge