MORE hurdles are on the way for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants, it was learnt Sunday.

A 10-man committee will screen the aspirants.

President Goodluck Jonathan, ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ex-National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. Aliyu Gusau and Governor Bukola Saraki are the leading aspirants.

The panel will soon be constituted, a party source said last night, adding that only aspirants cleared by it will contest the primaries.

It was also learnt that all ministers and other political appointees seeking to contest for offices in 2011 are expected to resign seven days before the primaries.

These highlights are contained in a 31-page PDP Guidelines for Primary Elections obtained by The Nation Sunday.

The guidelines, which have not been widely circulated to members, also indicate that any aspirant convicted by any court or tribunal will not be automatically disqualified from participating in the primary elections.

Although all aspirants at all levels will be screened by the PDP, the forthcoming screening of the presidential aspirants has caused anxiety, no thanks to the growing brickbats between some aspirants and the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

There were fears last night that some presidential aspirants may be technically disqualified by the screening panel.

According to the party, all presidential aspirants will go through three hurdles before qualifying for primaries.

These hurdles are obtaining nomination form; screening; and facing presidential screening appeal panel if there is any complaint.

The guidelines read: "There shall be a Presidential Screening Committee appointed by the National Executive Committee on the recommendation of the National Working Committee of the party whose sole responsibility shall be to screen presidential aspirants.

"The Presidential Screening Committee shall consist of a Chairman, a Secretary and eight ( members. One shall be appointed from each of the six geopolitical zones and two women (one from the North and one from the South).

"The result of the screening shall be announced and a copy shall be prominently displayed at the National Secretariat of the party.

"Any aspirant aggrieved by the decision of the Presidential Screening Committee may appeal in writing to the Presidential Screening Appeal Panel within 24 hours or soon thereafter from the time of the announcement of the result of the screening. The Presidential Screening Appeal Panel shall pronounce its decision on the appeal within 48 hours or soon thereafter of the receipt of the petition.

"Only aspirants cleared by the Presidential Screening Committee or whose appeal the Presidential Screening Appeal Panel has upheld shall be qualified to participate in the primary elections.

"Notwithstanding the provisions of the guidelines and any other rules or regulations laid down by the party, the decision of the National Executive Committee as recommended by the National Working Committee shall be final and binding on all aspirants, officials and organs of the party with respect to the eligibility or otherwise of an aspirant."

The document also states that "the Presidential Screening Appeal Panel shall consist of the 12 members of the National Working Committee plus six members of the Board of Trustees (one from each zone) with the National Chairman of the party chairing".

On the mode of presidential primary election, the document said: "It shall be by Special Conventions using the modified open secret ballot system, otherwise known as open secret ballot."

"The conduct of the Presidential Primary Election of the party shall be under the direction and supervision of the National Electoral Panel, and in accordance with the provisions of these guidelines and the Constitution of the party.

"The National Electoral Panel of the party shall prescribe the format of the ballot papers and provide ballot boxes for the conduct of the Presidential Primary Election, subject to the approval of the National Working Committee."

Ministers, commissioners, NWC members and other political appointees wishing to vie for elective posts, the party said, must resign seven days before the primary elections.

The document added: "Subject to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), any political appointee occupying any public office shall resign from such office not later than seven days before the date of the primary elections of the party at all levels."

The party listed those it might not clear for any elective office as those indicted, dismissed from public service or convicted by a court, among others.

It states: "An aspirant shall not be qualified to be nominated or to contest the primary election, if he/she has been indicted for any misconduct set out in Article 21 of the Constitution of the party; dismissed from the public service of the Federation of a state or Local Government or Area Council; or has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria or within the Commonwealth or elsewhere for any offence involving homicide, fraud, or dishonesty or the sale or use of narcotic drugs or any other psychotropic substances."

Others are those "adjudged guilty of treason or treasonable felony by any court in Nigeria; an undischarged bankrupt having been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in Nigeria or elsewhere.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/18937.html

This is welcome to me

Another red herring event in a country where votes count dont count and back door mago mago is the order of the day. I refused to be deceived

anything linked to PDP is all talk, as much as i dislike the party, i know 10yrs from now the party will be reborn and become truely the peoples party

for now pls keep deceiving yourselves thinking you are deceiving us!

no better thing will come out from a rotten system

They should also include in the so called screening process total disqualification for past Presidents like IBB and Buhari,if at all anyone is to take them seriously

rubbish

Nonsense and ingredients

all of them foolsss

pdp is a criminal institution

Its a RICO

oleeeeeÈ

But what about disqualifying aspirants that has been convicted for corruption so that people like IBB will not contest the primary. I hate IBB with passion!

tokunbobo:

But what about disqualifying aspirants that has been convicted for corruption so that people like IBB will not contest the primary. I hate IBB with passion!

Na only thief fit rule 9ja.I thought the North said they will screen Northern PDP aspirants first. hehe Opari.

well it appears we all know the PDP's game plan. Going by the list of the names of the PDP presidential aspirants (excluding GEJ), i smell rat

Is there anything positive still to come out of this PARTY?

kabukabu50:

They should also include in the so called screening process total disqualification for past Presidents like IBB and Buhari,if at all anyone is to take them seriously

Buhari has never been a member of PDP.

People open your eyes,GEJ badluck is not as popular as we are always made to believe,he has no chance of winning even the PDP primary in a free-and -fair contest.
After the unsuccessful attempt to make political appointees delegates,the hes trying to get Law-breakers (legislooters) to gate-crash into party NECs and also now hes trying to disqualify candidates who he sees as threats,this is the height of desperation.We can all see before us a president who is so desperate and determined to do anything to actualise his inordinate ambition.
Such a president will not do any good to Nigeria because he will always try to bend or even break the rules to serve his own selfish needs.

I implore every honest Nigerian to PLEASE leave the PDP alone,its a duty upon every patriotic Nigerian to vote PDP out,after 11yrs nothing good is coming out of the useless party,things are even getting worse and yet people are saying GEJ is the messiah.
Please lets look for alternative in either the ACN or CPC.

I hate PDP, no need to comment!

Jonathan trying to disqualify his opponents.

Thieves!

tokunbobo:

But what about disqualifying aspirants that has been convicted for corruption so that people like IBB will not contest the primary. I hate IBB with passion!

IBB has not been convicted of corruption, so your example does not add up. Although you hate him, there are enough Nigerians who like him. That is probably why he is seen as a serious threat by the incumbent. I am sure there will be lots of other candidates come election day that you could vote for if you do not like IBB.

passyjango:

IBB has not been convicted of corruption, so your example does not add up. Although you hate him, there are enough Nigerians who like him. That is probably why he is seen as a serious threat by the incumbent. I am sure there will be lots of other candidates come election day that you could vote for if you do not like IBB.

What a joke!
So, nowadays serious threats need to fall back on tribalism? Damn!

What happened to primary debates? Even after this so called screening, why can't the leading candidates debate on national TV responding to questions from our people? Or is that a thing of the Western and developed nations only?

mens dept:

What happened to primary debates? Even after this so called screening, why can't the leading candidates debate on national TV responding to questions from our people? Or is that a thing of the Western and developed nations only?

My brother there were debates in Ghana, Iran etc. not to talk of the ones we seen from Western countries like US, France, UK or Germany.

It is only in Nigeria where people win elections without defending their records in front of the people.

Yar'adua barely appeared on National TV before he was elected. And yet we claim Nigeria is part of the digital age. What a shame.

you can decieve some people sometimes but u cannot decieve all the people all the times. all these stories will end up with selection and that is nothing but obasanjo's doing.
everything about pdp is criminal. who is going to constitute this 10 man committee? obasanjo. who is going to tell them what to do? obasanjo. whose interest are they going to protect? obasanjo. at the end of the day, these 10 men will not bite the finger that is feeding them.
how long will this useless country be under the control of this old fool?
for those who want to know, apart from jonathan, everyother aspirant is a criminal and does not have the backing of pdp to context even in the pdp primaries.
the big question here is, after the 2007 elections, what happened to atiku who ribadu and obasanjo told us that was a criminal? after the 2007 elections, how come pdp allowed that same criminal atiku to become their member? how on earth are criminals in charge of nigeria and someone is expecting corruption to leave this country.
obasanjo is afraid of oposition to his gang because of all his crimes against this helpless country call nigeria.

i dont understand what all these screening is all about again, i thought the north said they had already picked the person of Atiku to represent them in the primaries. What now happened to their decision? or did they anulled the selection becos it was not IBB that was picked. Pls let someone help me out of this, i am confused.

Muza:

People open your eyes,GEJ badluck is not as popular as we are always made to believe,he has no chance of winning even the PDP primary in a free-and -fair contest.
After the unsuccessful attempt to make political appointees delegates,the hes trying to get Law-breakers (legislooters) to gate-crash into party NECs and also now hes trying to disqualify candidates who he sees as threats,this is the height of desperation.We can all see before us a president who is so desperate and determined to do anything to actualise his inordinate ambition.
Such a president will not do any good to Nigeria because he will always try to bend or even break the rules to serve his own selfish needs.

I implore every honest Nigerian to PLEASE leave the PDP alone,its a duty upon every patriotic Nigerian to vote PDP out,after 11yrs nothing good is coming out of the useless party,things are even getting worse and yet people are saying GEJ is the messiah.
Please lets look for alternative in either the ACN or CPC.

I HATE PDP AND NORTHENERS

Dotman01:

oleeeeeÈ

CITIZEN X:

pdp is a criminal institution

jibosqie:

Is there anything positive still to come out of this PARTY?

kayc33:

rubbish

Omenani:

Thieves!

May God save the masses from these directionless people. Ameen.

chelseabmw:


I HATE PDP AND NORTHENERS

I hate PDP but i dont hate Southerners,I just pity alot of them cos they are blinded by sentiments and their tribalism is genetic and legendary.

I hope this is not a Smoke Screen Pls.