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Lamido disagrees with IBB, Ango Abdullahi, Northern elders
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Atiku distances self from arrangement Tambuwal, Hayatudeen disown option
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Saraki, Mohammed hail emergence
By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The option of consensus, muted by four of the presidential aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the North, has ran into trouble water as the centre could no longer hold.
Since last Friday’s purported adoption of former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed as the preferred candidates of the North by some elders led by former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, rtd, there have been series of accusations, counter accusation and sharp disagreements among the concerned parties.
While some of the presidential aspirants and other PDP leaders in the North like former Governor of Jigawa State and one time Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Sule Lamido have categorically dismissed the process that threw up Saraki and Bala Mohammed for not representing the wish of the generality of the North, others have been celebrating.
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar outrightly, declared that he was never part of the consensus arrangement.
Governor of Sokoto State, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal described the said position by Babangida and other Northern elders as grossly incorrect, pointing out that the consensus talk had since collapsed and that he has since submitted his own presidential nomination and expression of interest forms to the national secretariat of the PDP.
“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, he will go ahead to face screening and indeed contest the PDP presidential primaries”, the
Director of Organization and Mobilization for Tambuwal Campaign Organisation, Mr Nicholas Msheliza said in a statement yesterday.
Already, former Senator Tunde Ogbeha has been appointed as the Chairman of the Tambuwal Presidential Campaign Council.
The statement by Msheliza said, “The attention of Tambuwal Campaign Organization (TCO) has been drawn to a news item that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Governor Bala Muhammad of Bauchi state have emerged as consensus candidates from amongst the four of us announced at a meeting in Minna, Niger state.
This is, to be candid and forthright, not correct. The correct situation is that the team met on Wednesday 20th April, 2022, at Bauchi Governor’s lodge in Abuja and had a review meeting; and, unanimously agreed that the consensus arrangement was not working.
“The team further agreed that Sen. Saraki should come up with a draft statement on how to communicate this decision to the Nigerian public.
“This was the last time that members of the team sat and mutually agreed on anything.
“The proposed meeting to review and vet the statement scheduled for 10 pm of the same day was aborted unilaterally by Sen. Saraki via a WhatsApp message.
“However, on Thursday, 21st, 2022, same Sen Saraki circulated yet another WhatsApp message suggesting that members of the team should head to Minna for a meeting on Friday. Gov. Tambuwal reached other members of the team and informed them that he stands by the decision of the team that the initiative is not working.
“This is the reason Gov. Tambuwal was absent at the Friday’s meeting in Minna. As a result therefore, the outcome of the Minna meeting has no consequence or any implication on the aspiration of Gov. Tambuwal, who had earlier on informed his colleagues of maintaining their agreed position that the initiative has collapsed”, the statement said.
On his part, Alhaji Lamido told the
teeming PDP members and the general public that what was reported in the Media (about Saraki and Bala Mohammed bring the consensus candidates of the North) was only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the North.
Lamido, in the statement personally signed by him, said, “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.
“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 was 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 a 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”, he said.
In his reaction, another presidential aspirant from the North and former Presidential Adviser, Alhaji Hayatudeen Mohammed said that the process of arriving at a consensus candidate had collapsed.
According to Hayatu-Deen, “For the record, we would like to state that the process of arriving at a consensus candidate had collapsed.
“The candidates involved could not reach a compromise amongst themselves, resulting in the decision of our principal, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal to discontinue the process.
“The announcement we witnessed yesterday was not based on the principles of equity and transparency, which we believe should lead the country and the party into the future. “The committee constituted by Prof. Ango Abdullahi is completely faceless and the evaluation criteria is totally subjective.
“It seems to us that this entire charade was designed to achieve a preconceived outcome”, he said.
Speaking in the same vein, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku said he was never part of the consensus arrangement as he never subjected himself to the process.
According to statement by the Dr Raymond Dokpesi-led Technical Committee for Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign, in Abuja,
“The Vice President Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999-2007) was never a part of this purported consensus arrangement and did not subject himself to this process.
“Therefore,he is not bound by any of the recommendations and conclusions of the purported report.
“Waziri Atiku Abubakar as a nationalist strongly believes that Nigeria has never been so divided as it is today,and any regional, zonal, ethno-religious gang up or consensus driven in this manner will further deepen and widen the wounds that urgently require to be healed.
“He is anxious to implement plans, policies and programmes that will rescue and rebuild Nigeria
“Finally, we urge our supporters to continue with consultations and townhall meetings with delegates across the country as the party prepares for the presidential primaries scheduled for Saturday/Sunday May 28 and 29, 2022”, it said.
However, Governor Bala Mohammed, who is one of the two persons named as the consensus candidates of the North declared that he will not join issues with anybody on the question of the consensus arrangement because the truth needs no further protection.
A statement by the spokesperson of his presidential organisation, Prof. Udenta 0 Udenta, said, “The Sen. Bala Mohammed Campaign Organization will not join issues with anybody on the question of the Consensus arrangement because the truth needs no further protection from its traducers but will rather press on in rallying the nation around its progressive “Nigeria First” Governance Vision on the heels of the successful execution of the Consensus arrangement.
“The Campaign Organization, however advises all those who are not happy with the result of the selection process or who did not participate in it to focus on their individual political trajectories without let or hindrance and not muddy the political waters any further”, it said.
Continuing, the campaign organisation said, “We wish to place it on record that Gen. Babangida never approached nor lobbied anybody to superintend the process that will lead to the emergence of a Consensus Presidential Aspirant. “Rather it was the group of Presidential aspirants made up of Sen. Bala Mohammed, Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal. Sen. Bukola Saraki and Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen that collectively, freely and willingly approached Gen Babangida to help select from amongst themselves a Consensus Presidential Aspirant.
“The above four named individuals not only initiated the Consensus Arrangement on their own volition but also agreed to fully and unequivocally abide by the decision that Gen Babangida will arrive at in consultation with other elders as well as accept, honour the steps and procedures he will deploy in arriving at any decision.
“We therefore reject the current insinuations in the media from some quarters that purport that Gen Babangida and the elders either did not consult very widely or imposed a decision on an unwilling band of presidential aspirants.
“Gen Babangida and elders deserve nothing but commendation for the conclusions they reached and the outcome of the Consensus exercise by anybody who believes in the tenets of truth, honour and integrity.
‘Political ambition should not and cannot be a condition precedent to cast overboard these time honoured verities and inviolable norms and ask those are desecrating these values to have a sober rethink”, it said.
Senator, on his part, described his adoption on as welcome development, stressing that the process that eventually led to this decision cannot be faulted.
Saraki, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Yusuf Olaniyonu, said, “It is a welcome development. The process that eventually led to this decision cannot be faulted. It was pain-staking, thorough and transparent.
“One needs to commend and appreciate the elders who worked to actualise the process. May Allah bless them all.
“Their decision was based on equity, justice and need for inclusion of all. Yes, one consensus candidate has not emerged but they have initiated a process which can help the party later on.
“The process is a work-in-progress. One person will still emerge from the on-going process here in the North.
“The South also has an example to emulate in deciding on the aspirants that should proceed to the primaries considering the zones that have not produced a President before like the South East.
“A nation like Nigeria, with all the current problems, needs consensus building as a way of healing the nation and enlarging grounds of co-operation, unity and understanding.
