Lamido says the shortlisted two aspirants as consensus PDP presidential candidates are only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement
A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has rejected the decision of the Northern Elders Forum in the choice of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) northern consensus candidate.
A statement personally signed by Lamido says Saraki and Mohammed are the choice of those who made the arrangement, and not the choice of the PDP members in the north.
Lamido says: “The attention of key stakeholders of the PDP in the northern states is drawn to reports in the media that some northern elders have shortlisted two of our prominent and deserving aspirants as consensus PDP presidential candidates.
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“Having widely consulted party leaders across the 19 northern states and FCT, it is hereby stated to our teeming party members and the general public that what is reported in the media is only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the north.
“Discussions are ongoing with ALL the aspirants in our party with a view to having a national consensus if possible or at least working towards having a smooth, acrimony-free national convention.
“The position of the northern elders is not only injurious to the north but equally injurious to the northern aspirants.”
Earlier, the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, also rejected the choice of Saraki and Mohammed as the northern consensus candidates of the PDP.
Tambuwal, in a statement by his campaign office, said the arrangement has failed and he is now prepared for a primary election.
“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,” his campaign office wrote.