Brick by brick the structure to settle for a single candidate who will get the nomination of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to be its presidential candidate next year is taking shape.
The move initiated by the trio of Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state, Sen. Bala Muhammad of Bauchi state and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and now joined by another aspirant, Alhaji Muhammad Hayatudeen, erstwhile Managing Director, FSB International Bank PLC, TMSH, deepened on Monday when the initiators met with Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom in Makurdi earlier in the day.
Later the group which met with the Taraba state Governor, Darius Ishaku at his Asokoro Lodge in Abuja, also met with former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at his Abuja residence.
Prior to the marathon meetings of Monday organised by the quadriumvirate, Tambuwal, Muhammad and Saraki had first met in Bauchi and in Abuja last week, after which they visited the National Chairman of the PDP, Prof. Iyorchia Ayu at his Maitama district residence.
The main thrust of the consultation is to convince disparate Northern contenders and other stakeholders from the Southern part of the country to set aside the zoning arrangement of the party in favor of a party anointed Presidential candidate.
Recall that the same consensus option brought forth the current chairman of the party and other members of the National Working Committee of the PDP as it is today.
After their closed door meeting in Makurdi, Saraki told reporters that the initiative was borne out of their desire to consult widely among the stakeholders as well as other aspirants to select one of them who would be supported by the rest of the party to rescue Nigeria from the APC.
The ex-Senate President disclosed that the plan of the consensus group is to meet with all the key stakeholders across the country, pointing out that
all the aspirants on the platform of the party have the capacity to govern the country effectively.
Former Vice President Abubakar expressed willingness to sustain the discourse in the interest of nation building. “I had a meeting tonight with Saraki, Tambuwal, Bala and Hayatudden to discuss the future of our party and Nigeria. I look forward to continuing our dialogue and building #OneNigeria,” he emphasized on his FACEBOOK wall and Twitter handle.
Concurring that the PDP and all the Presidential aspirants have the capacity to rescue the country from its current travails, Governor Ortom said the party can get a consensus candidate who would be accepted by all.
He described the initiative of the three PDP aspirants as a step in the right direction, noting that as a party aspiring to take the country and rebuild it, nothing other than unity among party members is needed for it to be successful.
On his part, Gov. Ishaku also gave his nod to the TMSH initiative, saying: “We (the PDP) have shown Nigerians how to rule and manage their affairs and I think we should still be the leaders. I am very happy with this visit. You have my 100% support.
“I am sure my colleagues too will give you the same support and any right-thinking person should be able to support this mission.
“We only have to produce one person. Let’s work together, hold our hands together and agree that this person should be our leader and then will all fall in line,” he concluded.
