PDP postpones screening as more aspirants join chairmanship race

The national convention organising committee (NCOC) of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) has postponed the screening of aspirants for thenational convention. The assessment of hopefuls for the national convention wasscheduled to take place on October 28. In a statement issued on Monday, Ahmadu Fintiri, governor ofAdamawa and chair of the NCOC, attributed the postponement to “unforeseencircumstances”. He said a new date would be communicated to aspirants. Fintiri said the NCOC remains committed to “delivering acredible, hitch-free” national convention on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyostate. BACKGROUND The planned PDP national convention has been marred bylitigation and protests over the adoption of a “consensus candidate” for thechairmanship position. Northern PDP stakeholders recently adopted Turaki at ameeting held in Abuja. Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi; Caleb Mutfwang ofPlateau, Fintiri, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara; and Umar Damagum, PDPnational chairman, attended the meeting where Kabiru Turaki was endorsed as theconsensus candidate for the chairmanship position. Former Senate President Bukola Saraki; Jerry Gana, formerminister of information; Abba Moro, senate minority leader; and IbrahimShekarau, former minister of education, among others, also attended themeeting. The position was micro-zoned to the north-west, with formergovernors Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), and Turaki among thoserumoured to be eyeing the chairmanship role. However, some PDP north-west stakeholders kicked against thechoice of Turaki. The north-west stakeholder said they were not invited to thesit-down where the decision was made, noting that the earlier meeting,scheduled for that purpose, had been postponed. On Monday, Lamido expressed his intention to run for thechairmanship position, saying he has the capacity to rebuild and reposition thePDP. Meanwhile, a suit seeking to stop the PDP convention isbilled for hearing on October 31.

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