By Chuks Okocha

As the race for the Adamawa State governorship election gathers steam, former political adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan and governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Gulak , yesterday expressed doubt over the membership of some aspirants, including former military administrator of Lagos State, Buba Marwa and Marcus Gundiri.
Gulak said they had not fulfilled the two year constitutional provision by the PDP for them to be granted waiver as members.
Gulak insisted that he was not aware that Marwa, an aspirant under PDP had met the waiver criteria as he joined PDP upon the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Former gubernatorial candidate, Gundiri, also joined the PDP same time Marwa did.

Gulak who disclosed this yesterday at the PDP national secretariat after he picked the expression of interest and nomination forms, also said the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, was welcomed to join the PDP provided he was ready to eat his vomit over negative comments he made against PDP.

The former presidential aide said that President Goodluck Jonathan was aware of his ambition as he had intimated him before picking his forms.


The PDP has billed its Ward congress for September 1 and party primary on September 2014.
Commenting on the waiver of Marwa and other aspirants, Gulak, who cited section 50 of the PDP's constitution which provides a two year period for waiver, noted "I am not aware that Marwa and some others have followed the waiver provisions as contained in the party's constitution as long as anyone wants to contest”.

He added, "Procedures for waivers are clearly spelt out in the constitution beginning from the ward through the zonal levels.‎ You must have been a member of the party for two years."

On speculated moves by Ribadu to join the PDP, Gulak who described Ribadu as a friend and brother, recalled that the former EFCC chairman was a presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and was in the vanguard of the APC merger.

Gulak while quoting a statement of Ribadu upon the merger of the APC that he would not join PDP even if he was offered the presidential ticket for free said, "if he decides to summersault and eat his words he is welcome to PDP."

He continued "he is welcome any time any day, whether in APC or any other party, it is the people that will elect them. Nobody can sit somewhere and decide who becomes governor of a place."

On whether he consulted the president on his ambition, Gulak said "Mr president is the leader of party and father of the nation. Everybody is supposed to intimate him on his intention to stand. But he is always by the people and he knows that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
" I have informed Mr president of my ambition just like other aspirants ought to have done and he will not tell you not to since It in an ambition"
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/adamawa-defectors-yet-to-get-pdp-waiver/186485/

If Marwa do not get the the PDP's Ticket, he will come off as the biggest looser of the Adamawa Governorship election. If he stayed in APC, he would have been on track to Government House.

With Ribadu, APC has this on lock-down - Ribadu the next Governor of Adamawa State - (even PDP has endorsed it). Up APC!

egift: If Marwa do not get the the PDP's Ticket, he will come off as the biggest looser of the Adamawa Governorship election. If he stayed in APC, he would have been on track to Government House.

With Ribadu, APC has this on lock-down - Ribadu the next Governor of Adamawa State - (even PDP has endorsed it). Up APC!

Don't conclude yet cos politics is a game of chess and many permutations and combinations(Combinatorics) are involved.
Being a game of chess many political pawns are meant to be sacrificed on the Adamawa's political chess board.
Defintely either of the two

ribadu d opprtunist will b d biggest loser if he fails to get pdp ticket

cos sure pdp will win adamawa

Ribadu's greatest mistake is to initially portray himself to the PDP. The APC will now see him as an opportunist that doesn't deserve to be trusted. The PDP won't give him ticket. Gulak will defeat them at the primaries. He is a grassroot mobilizer. APC should conduct their primaries and support eventual winner. I see a serious battle but with PDP having advantage except Atiku diploys his political machinery in d state

barcanista: Ribadu's greatest mistake is to initially portray himself to the PDP. The APC will now see him as an opportunist that doesn't deserve to be trusted. The PDP won't give him ticket. Gulak will defeat them at the primaries. He is a grassroot mobilizer. APC should conduct their primaries and support eventual winner. I see a serious battle but with PDP having advantage except Atiku diploys his political machinery in d state

The Kings on the Chessboard are Ambassador @large and Turaki of Adamawa

egift: If Marwa do not get the the PDP's Ticket, he will come off as the biggest looser of the Adamawa Governorship election. If he stayed in APC, he would have been on track to Government House.

With Ribadu, APC has this on lock-down - Ribadu the next Governor of Adamawa State - (even PDP has endorsed it). Up APC!

Ribadu made d mistake of even indicating intrest to join pdp in d first place. He disappointed me. I don't think the apc leadership trust him that much to evn entrust him with their ticket in adamawa anymore. He defied the then ACN warning not head subsidy probe committee; this he did , only to b rubbished and dumped later by the pdp. Now he's about to take such steps again despite d hospitality shown to him by his party when he came back after working for d pdp.
Gulak has a point by citing that pdp act in his statement, and that's what pdp is goin to use to get their seat back when ribadu emerges as the govno on the platform of pdp.

Descartes:
The Kings on the Chessboard are Ambassador @large and Turaki of Adamawa

ambassador at large is my worry here and might just hinder Ribadu's defection to d pdp . His son said he hasn't stepped down for ribadu. And considering the fact that gej love Bamanga tukur that he traded pdp unity for tukur's chairmanship, his son myt get d support of gej. It was because of tukur insistence to impose his son on them after nyako must have ended his tenure that led both men into rancour that saw nyako leaving pdp for apc.

caseless: ambassador at large is my worry here and might just hinder Ribadu's defection to d pdp . His son said he hasn't stepped down for ribadu. And considering the fact that gej love Bamanga tukur that he traded pdp unity for tukur's chairmanship, his son myt get d support of gej. It was because of tukur insistence to impose his son on them after nyako must have ended his tenure that led both men into rancour that saw nyako leaving pdp for apc.

The game is gonna be very interesting.
Let's keep our fingers crossed and see how the events unfolds.