Ahead of the December 18 deadline for all registered political parties to submit the names of their candidates for the 2015 elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has commenced the collation and harmonisation of the lists of the congresses conducted to elect its candidates.
The political parties are to submit the names of their candidates to INEC in a forwarding letter signed by the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party, in the case of PDP, Adamu Mu’azu and Wale Adewale, respectively.
Also, the governors elected on the platform of the PDP would meet today over the controversies surrounding the various congresses that elected the flag bearers of the party.
The meeting is being summoned by the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom.
The meeting, according to Akpabio, is mandatory for all PDP governors.
The venue is the Akwa Ibom State Governor’s Lodge and the time of the meeting is 6p.m.
Also, the PDP governorship candidate in Kebbi State, General Sarkin Yarki Bello, has sued for unity among the party stakeholders to ensure the unity and victory of the party in the state. Bello, a retired army general, told journalists in Abuja that the only way PDP can remain victorious in 2015 general election is for PDP to remain focused and avoid distractions from those he described as political enemies.
According to Bello in a statement made available to THISDAY, “There are image-damagers who very often masquerade as the voice of concerned party foot soldiers or defenders of party discipline and virtues, who in their bid to score cheap political points, bring their leaders to ridicule; and this is exactly the manner-of-missiles directed at the Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Saidu Dakingari, by friendly-enemies within his party, the PDP.
“The same enemies are clawing on straws in a futile attempt to foil the consolidation of the positive legacy the governor has bequeathed to the state. In circumstances like this, men endowed with sense of impartiality cannot stand aloof and watch the destruction of one hard working individual.”
THISDAY gathered that because of the deadline to political parties to submit the names of their candidates for various elections, members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) are holding various meetings to authenticate the list of their candidates for the general elections.
For instance, the party is in dilemma on how to harmonise the lists coming from the parallel congresses held in some states like Enugu and Anambra as well as the inconclusive National Assembly primary in Delta North.
One of the main issues in the harmonisation of the plan is to ensure that some of the governorship aspirants who are members of the National Assembly retain their seats. Though the details are not out, a competent source said: “Some of these are under consideration, but a decision must be reached before midday on Wednesday.”
Also, at the residence of one of the principal officers of the PDP, candidates were busy keeping vigil to ensure that their names are among those submitted to INEC by Thursday.
“My brother, you know that the PDP is capable of many things, I am here to ensure that my name is not changed midway from here to INEC. It has happened before and therefore once beaten, twice shy,” one of the candidates from Anambra State said.
Aspirants seen at the PDP secretariat were Senator Andy Uba, Nze Chidi Duru, Handle Okoli and Uche Ekwenife among others.
It was also gathered that the party would submit the name of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, as the PDP presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Source: THISDAY
