Turaki-led PDP Clears Jonathan To Emerge Party’s Presidential Candidate

By Chibuzo Ukaibe and Ademu Idakwo, Abuja

The Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cleared former President Goodluck Jonathan to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate. The party’s presidential primaries are scheduled for May 28.

Speaking after the screening of some aspirants in Abuja, the screening committee led by former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu said it granted Jonathan a waiver from the screening process in recognition of his previous service as deputy governor, governor, vice president, and president.

However, Jonathan had yet to confirm the position of the Turaki-led PDP as of press time. Calls and messages sent to his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, were not replied to.

Although it was not clear when Jonathan purchased the party’s form, the Turaki-led PDP had declared that the former president participated in the recent digital membership registration under its platform.

The Turaki-led PDP is backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who has also declared for the presidency on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement in alliance with the PDP.

However, the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led PDP is backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. In this camp, Senator Sandy Onor is the presidential aspirant ahead of the party’s convention later this month.

Addressing newsmen yesterday after the screening, Aliyu said: “The party had already given a presidential aspirant a waiver from screening. Like I said in the beginning, he was deputy governor, became governor, became vice president, became president, so we didn’t see anything that needed screening.

“And therefore, the party had given him a waiver. In other words, he has been declared and cleared as a candidate of the PDP for the presidential election, and that is former President Jonathan.”

He also disclosed that the PDP National Secretary and former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, was granted a waiver.

Aliyu explained that other aspirants from different states had appeared before the committee for screening.

Speaking further he said, “We are very happy that even those who have been attempting to kill the party cannot succeed, and the party will contest this election by the grace of God and by the Constitution of Nigeria,” Aliyu added.

Reacting however, the National Secretary of PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the  purported waiver granted to former President Goodluck Jonathan is nothing but a deceit and a drama taken too far by Tanimu Turaki and his group,” Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the Wike-backed faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, has said.

Anyanwu questioned the legitimacy of the process, insisting that the proceedings were not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“INEC did not supervise their proceedings, so where exactly are they going to submit the name? You cannot conduct such a process outside the law and expect it to stand,” he stated.

He described the move as a political charade aimed at misleading party members and Nigerians, maintaining that only processes recognised by the law and monitored by INEC would be valid.