By Oguwike Nwachuku
The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is not sure if any of the aspirants to the party’s presidential ticket in the Saturday, October 6 national convention has yet been favoured to win.
All roads lead to the Garden City of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, as the main opposition party in Nigeria chooses its standard bearer for the 2019 general election.
Many believe there is a favoured candidate among the 12 aspirants that include former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna governor, Ahmed Makarfi, former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, current Sokoto State governor, Waziri Tambuwal, his Gombe counterpart, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his predecessor, David Mark, former Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, former Plateau governor, Jonah Jang.
But the PDP leadership, thinks otherwise.
TheNiche got it on good authority on Friday, October 5, from a PDP National Working Committee (NWC) source that “what the party leadership has so far seen are front-runner aspirants for the ticket and not a favoured contestant(s).”
The source however said the front runners are seen in Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal and Kwankwazo.
Asked if the party did not think that an under-dog like Bafarawa, Mark, Dankwanbo, Lamido or Makarfi could emerge the winner in the presidential primary of the PDP he said: “If there is an underdog, then we should be talking of an upset.”
He said he did not think any such aspirants would be so powerful to upset the structure of the four contestants believed to be in the front-runners’ zone.
Host governor, Nyesom Wike said recently that the person who may emerge the PDP candidate could be someone not reckoned with by majority of the party members.
He was also quoted to have said that the delegates would not want to gamble with aspirants who will play lip service to their promise of restructuring Nigeria if given the opportunity to fly the PDP flag and eventually gets elected as president next year.
TheNiche got it on good authority that the 4,000 delegates are in high spirit, not because of what they have been given by the aspirants they are supporting in terms of Naira and kobo, but by the quality of the work they plan to do if given the opportunity.
“Virtually all the aspirants are good to go and have what it takes to pilot the affairs of Nigeria, but the truth is that in every contest of this nature, only one person will emerge. Ours is to make sure we help in the emergence of the best candidate for our party and for the overall interest of Nigeria,” one of the delegates told this newspaper.
Asked whether he thinks money will not be a defining factor in the emergence of the PDP candidate he said: “In politics, money is needed, but it is not always for the purpose people think. If a delegate is coming from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt for this exercise, I hope you do not think that delegate will trek to the place? You have not talked about feeding him, and other living expenses he must involve himself with were he to be in his house in Maiduguri. So, it is not always what people think. Delegates are also not poor people per se.”
Meanwhile, the National Convention Planning Committee said it is fully ready for tomorrow’s event.
Chairman of the committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa dropped the hint on Friday while inspecting the venue, Adokiye Amasiemeka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
Okowa has said that everything has been put in place for a credible process to be delivered, saying his committee and others have been working round the clock to ensure that no stone was left unturned for a credible and acceptable process to be delivered.
Okowa told reporters in Port Harcourt: “You can see that everything is right on course; the stadium is beautifully decorated and we are set for tomorrow, Saturday.
“Accreditation of delegates is a very sensitive issue, so, we are starting the accreditation process tomorrow at 7 am.”
Fielding questions from about withdrawal of aspirants from the race, the governor said: “There is a process for aspirants to withdraw from the race, none of them has stepped down, we have 12 aspirants for now.
“We are expecting a very good convention, we are working very hard to deliver a process that is credible, free, fair and acceptable.
“As you can see, I and my colleagues in the committee have been round the venue, ensuring that all that is needed for us to have a smooth sail is put in place; we have also made the stadium our secretariat that is why we held in one of the Executive Lounge here at the stadium to deliberate on sundry issues that have to do with the entire convention.”