March 14, 2022

Ahead of the Presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; there are indications that the leadership of the party is considering a quartet of Governors Nyesom Wike, Bala Mohammed, Aminu Tambuwal, Udom Emmanuel, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Rivers, Bauchi, Sokoto, Akwa Ibom and Enugu states respectively to vie for the sole ticket for the 2023 Presidential poll.

Vanguard gathered that though the various layers of leadership in the party including the National Working Committee, NWC; National Executive Committee, NEC; Board of Trustees, BoT, among others have counselled on the need for a thorough consultation before picking a Presidential candidate, the governors are gradually winning the argument to have one of them fly the party’s ticket in the 2023 poll.

Only recently, governors of the 36 states under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, declared support for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the PDP to pick their candidates from among the governors.

Sources within the NGF hinted recently that the state governors have reached a consensus that one of them, regardless of the party, should emerge as the next President of the country, following their insistence that state governors possess the knowledge and experience to salvage the country.

Vanguard gathered that the development is partly the reason governors are bent on controlling party structures in their respective states.

“I can tell you that the governors of the 36 states have reached a consensus that one of them should emerge as the next President of the country.

“The governors have been meeting and consulting on producing the Presidential candidates of both the APC and the PDP and the consultations have reached very advanced level. In a matter of days, the governors will make a formal declaration in this direction”, an NGF source had said.

Should the governors have their way, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius may have their ambitions threatened owing to the growing influence of sitting governors.

On the other hand, the aspiration of Wike, Emmanuel, Tambuwal, and other governors would be off to a good start, until the party takes a position on zoning.

Wike is championing a Southern Presidency, a cause that may earn him the ticket especially if he succeeds in convincing Emmanuel and Ugwuanyi to step down for him. Atiku and Tambuwal are however insisting that the race be thrown open to ensure that the most popular, regardless of ethnicity emerges to battle the APC for the soul of Nigeria.

The PDP is expected to take a position on zoning in a forth night as the clamour for power rotation gets more intense for the day.

DonNeon:
Wike should forget about been president, his uncouth [b]way of talking and high-handedness [/b]will definitely sell him out.....He has this dictator attitude...
As for the other two southern governors, they're not serious...... Infact pdp as a party is not serious.........

Peter obi and Aminu tambawal are the only sensible candidates one can pick from Pdp....

ArewaNorth:
One should know their performance at state level as Governors before coming here to praise them.
It will be disastrous to have any of these as President in Nigeria.
Anybody who can't perform as Governor has no business going to even Senate