Efforts by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to persuade dozens of candidates who had indicated interest to contest the 2019 presidential elections under its platform to pick a consensus candidate met a brick wall as the candidates insist on the conduct of presidential primary.
The meeting which held on Tuesday night at the private residence of the Governor of Ekiti State, who is also the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Ayodele Fayose, had in attendance the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, governors elected on the platform of the party and the presidential aspirants.
Aspirants who were at the meeting were the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, and a former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark.
Also at the meeting were a former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jona Jang; a former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; a former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed.
The remaining four aspirants who were also present were a 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).
The Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo, was said to be absent from the meeting.
The meeting was said to be at the instance of the governors.
According to a report by The Punch, the governors took the decision to invite the aspirants for discussions at their meeting which was held on Sunday night.
The Tuesday meeting, which was presided over by Fayose, also agreed that Secondus would be in attendance.
Sources at the meeting said that Fayose, who recently announced that he had dropped his presidential ambition because of the alleged robbing of the PDP candidate in the Ekiti State governorship election by the All Progressives Congress, started the discussion.
He was said to have told the aspirants on the need to work together and have a common front ahead of the primary, which had been fixed for October 5 and 6.
He was also said to have implored the aspirants to accept the outcome of the primary in good faith, and that whoever won would be supported by all, including those that lost.
Though it was said that Fayose said that it would have been better if the aspirants could work together and produce a consensus presidential candidate, he was, however, said that the governors would not impose that decision on them.
A source at the meeting said, “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.”
Secondus, it was gathered, assured the governors and the aspirants that the members of the National Working Committee of the party had no favourite aspirant among the aspirants.
