The trio of former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) are intensifying their push for the adoption a consensus Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate from the North, The Nation reports.
They were in Markurdi where they met with Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom to market the consensus option. They later held similar talks with Governor Darius Ishaku the Taraba State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The governors, who have bought presidential nomination forms, hinted of a scheduled plan to meet with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar last night. Atiku declared last week to fight for the PDP ticket.
The meeting with Atiku, which was at the instance of the three aspirants, was in continuation of talks aimed at adopting one of them as a consensus candidate.
Earlier, Saraki dismissed insinuations that the consensus arrangement was a ploy by PDP governors to edge Atiku out of the race.
The former vice president is perceived not to be well disposed to the option, as he had, a few days ago, voiced his confidence in winning the ticket at the primaries.
Saraki, who told reporters in the company the Taraba governor, that the consensus idea was being explored to minimise rancour and ensure unity in the party.
He said: “Part of our plan is to meet with other aspirants. We intend to meet with the Waziri Adamawa (Atiku) later today.
“We have made plans to meet with the governor of Benue and we will also meet with other governors and the governors from the south early next week and some of the elders in the country.
“Yes, we all have our individual ambitions; we all are eminently qualified to lead this country; but, we all cannot lead the country at the same time.
“What is important now is to provide leadership and unity; let’s close ranks because if we all go to the primary, you know the problems that it will create and we agreed to work together and come up with a candidate.
“It is not being the President that matters. It is a team work that we want to bring to this country, to make a change from what leadership used to be; one person.
“The leadership we want to provide in 2023 is a leadership of unity where we will all play a role because it is clear that the problem of Nigeria is not what one person can do and that starts now in the emergence of that candidate”.
Ishaku commended the initiative of the three aspirants, saying that he supported the initiative wholeheartedly.
He said: “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 walk together, hold our hands together and agree that this person should be our leader and then we all fall in line.”
In Makurdi, the aspirants pledged their commitment to a rancour-free contest.
____
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2022 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
