By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
As the 17 Presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) jostle for ticket, the Sen. David Mark Screening Committee has announced the disqualification of two aspirants.
The exercise which took place at the PDP legacy house, Abuja on Friday commenced by 10am in the morning and ended around 5pm. Aspirants took an average of 40mins to present their certificates to the panel. It was also observed that the female aspirant Diana Oliver and Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa after facing the panel came back a second time perhaps to submit more documents or make further clarifications.
Brifinyg newsmen after the exercise, the Committee chairman, Sen. Mark revealed that two aspirants were disqualified but said that he will not mention their names. He equally said that all the aspirants were thoroughly screened adding that any of them have the capacity to win the next general election.
He also hinted that the disqualified aspirant can approach the appeals committee headed by Sen. Iyorchia Ayu to protest their disqualification.
He said, “The exercise, as far as we’re concerned, has gone on very well.
“We’ve been very thorough this time around, see how much time we’ve taken to screen each individual who has been here. We screened 17 aspirants, which is quite a number. We cleared 15, two have not been cleared”.
Meanwhile, aspirants are divided in the issue of zoning and consensus which was struck by the Nothern group.
While Peter Obi, Gov. Udom Emmanuel and Bala Mohammed declared that they will abide by whatever the party decides on zoning, former Ekiti state governor insisted that the party must zone its Presidential ticket to the south.
Fayose who spoke with journalists at end of his screening exercise said that the party must be bold enough to pronounce that the presidential ticket has been zoned to the south to avoid confusion in the future.
He said, “Well, I say it again, very expressly, that I am for zoning and I believe the best thing this party can do for posterity, for tomorrow, so as not to cause confusion is for this party to zone this presidential campaign or presidential election.
“You know why, If we fail to do it, even if we say anybody can contest, you must officially zone it to the South”.
Fayose went ahead to recount that in 1999, the PDP ticket was zoned to the South which brought former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falaye to face each other at the polls on the platform of different parties. He said that Abubakar Rimi still contested within the ambit of the Constitution. He called on the party’s leadership to note that whatever it does today, will stand against it tomorrow.
“The system is not functioning in our country, the institutions are not functioning that is why we have all these problems. And we must be courageous enough to say this is going to South. If you want to contest, the Nigerian constitution still gives you the leverage, the opportunity to do so. I support zoning this to southern Nigeria”.
Fayose went further to say that those buying the Presidential form in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are mainly from the South because President Buhari is from the north and the next president must come from the South.
“This is not a sign of weakness, but it’s a sign to make sure that you don’t have the leeway for some people who will be using it negatively in future. The committee just submitted their report. The party must make pronouncement and that may not necessarily stop anybody from contesting. The party must and should make a pronouncement” stated Fayose.
However, former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi has insisted that the party should focus more on candidates capable of taking Nigeria out of the woods but added that the party will have the final decision on zoning.
Speaking with journalists on zoning at the end of his screening, Obi said, “The party has the final say. I can’t have a thought, I’m a member of a party. If the party says this is where they want the party to go, if you’re a member of an organization, you respect that organization. And that is why I said, whatever we do, the most critical thing is, what we do is to pull Nigerians out of poverty and create a future for teeming unemployed youths of Nigeria.
“We must change our polity and change to what other nations are doing and that is building a better nation for their people. We can go on, going round things that are yesterday. Let’s think about tomorrow. How come that a great nation like Nigeria is not doing well, simple, changing from consumption to production”.
Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Udom Emmanuel also said that the party has the final say on zoning while Bala Mohammed said that even as his emergence as the nothern consensus candidate is a boost on his candidacy, he is prepared to go into primaries and will support whoever emerges as the party’s candidate.
“The party has a process of the emergence of candidates through the primaries, but what we did in the consensus is not a new one. It has been done before and some people have benefited from it. And I’m humbled that I’ve benefited, on that attestation that sense of judgment, that appreciation by our elders and I’m carrying it as a booster, not as a free accomplishment. I’m a Democrat. If anyone of us get it other than myself, am ready support him” Mohammed said.
Also revealing details of the screening process, former President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim said that the screening was not intended to disqualify anybody. He said that part of the documents that were screened include: school certificates, tax clearance, party membership cards, voters card and financial statement.
The 17 aspirants that purchased the forms include the 2019 presidential candidate of the party, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the former Speaker House of Representatives, Chairman of PDP Governors Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, two-term governor of Kwara State and immediate past president of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, former President of the Senate and former Secretary to the government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.
Aside from these, other aspirants are former Minister Federal Capital Territory and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, former Minister of State for Education and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, 2019 PDP Vice Presidential candidate, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, a United States-based medical doctor, Nwachukwu Anakwenze; media mogul, Dele Momodu.
Others are Investment banker and economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; a pharmacist, Sam Ohuabunwa, Former Speaker of Abia House of Assembly, Cosmos Ndukwe, Charles Ugwu, Rt Hon Chikwendu Kalu as well as the only female aspirant in the race, Tareila Diana.
