PDP Consensus candidacy: Tambuwal , Hayatu-Deen reject Northern Elders’ choice of Saraki, Mohammed

The campaign organisations of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State  and  Mohamed Hayatu-Deen, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  presidential candidates, have  rejected the decision of the Prof Ango Abdullahi-led committee to announce Governor Bala Mohammad and Senator Bukola Saraki as the preferred Northern consensus candidates for the PDP.

The Director General of the campaign organisation of Hayatu-Deen,  Lamis Shehu Dikko made the rejection known on in a statement on Saturday.

The statement read in full, “The campaign team of Mohammed Hayatu-deen and its principal are aware of the decision by the Prof. Ango Abdullahi-led committee to announce Governor Bala Mohammad and Senator Bukola Saraki as the preferred Northern consensus candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party.

“After this announcement, we consulted with the Northern Elders’ Forum and agreed that the campaign of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen will now be undertaken independently to maintain the sanctity and integrity of the Peoples Democratic Party.

 “For the record, we would like to state that the process of arriving at a consensus candidate had collapsed. The candidates involved could not reach a compromise amongst themselves, resulting in the decision of our principal, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal to discontinue the process.

“The announcement we witnessed yesterday was not based on the principles of equity and transparency, which we believe should lead the country and the party into the future. The committee constituted by Prof. Ango Abdullahi is completely faceless and the evaluation criteria is totally subjective.

“It seems to us that this entire charade was designed to achieve a preconceived outcome.

“The focus of our candidate, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, is to prove to our great party and Nigerians in general that he is the best man for the job, as we proceed towards a truly democratic process at the PDP primaries.

“We believe that the lack of consensus amongst the Prof. Ango Abdullahi-led effort and the politicking of other candidates should not jeopardize the electoral success of the Peoples Democratic Party or threaten the peace and prosperity of Nigeria.

“Mohammed Hayatu-Deen is a business professional with years of experience leading successful organizations that have provided jobs and opportunities for millions of Nigerians. He is a man who understands the pains and sufferings of the average Nigerian and has a plan to return our great nation to prosperity.

“Mohammed Hayatu-Deen wants to build a Nigeria that works for everybody. He is the best candidate for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.“Thank you and God bless Nigeria.”

Tambuwal Campaign Organization (TCO), declared efforts to produce a consensus presidential candidate for the opposition PDP for 2023 election has suffered setback, debunking the reports that Saraki and Governor Bala Mohammed had emerged the group’s consensus candidates.

The declaration is contained in a statement issued Friday night by the TCO Director of Organization and Mobilization, Nicholas Msheliza.

TCO is the Presidential campaign platform of Aminu Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and the incumbent Governor of Sokoto State.

Consequently, the organization asserted that the outcome of the Minna meeting has no effect or any implication on the aspiration of Gov. Tambuwal who had earlier on informed his colleagues of maintaining their agreed position that the initiative has collapsed”.

The four aspirants in the forefront of the campaign for consensus are former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki; Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and the former Managing Director of FSB International Bank, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen.

TCO, in the statement signed said that the quest for a consensus candidate by the team had failed.

“Our attention has been drawn to a news item that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Gov. Bala Muhammad of Bauchi State have emerged as consensus candidates from amongst the four of us announced at a meeting in Minna, Niger.

`This, to be candid and forthright, is not correct,” the statement said.

Msheliza said that the correct situation was that the team met on Wednesday April, 20 at Bauchi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja and had a review meeting and unanimously agreed that the consensus arrangement was not working.

He said that the team further agreed that Saraki should come up with a draft statement on how to communicate this decision to Nigerians.

“This was the last time that members of the team sat and mutually agreed on anything. The proposed meeting to review and vet the statement scheduled for 10 p.m. of the same day was aborted unilaterally by Sen. Saraki via a WhatsApp message.

“However, on Thursday, 21st April, 2022, the same Sen.  Saraki circulated yet another WhatsApp message suggesting that members of the team should head to Minna for a meeting on Friday.

“Gov. Tambuwal reached other members of the team and informed them that he stands by the decision of the team that the initiative is not working.

“This is the reason Gov. Tambuwal was absent at today’s (Friday) meeting in Minna.“As a result, therefore, the outcome of the Minna meeting has no consequence or any implication on the aspiration of Gov. Tambuwal who had earlier on informed his colleagues of maintaining their agreed position that the initiative has collapsed,” he said.

Msheliza reminded Nigerians that what was canvassed for was a consensus candidate and not consensus candidates.

He said that for the avoidance of doubts, Tambuwal had submitted his presidential nomination forms.

“Now that the quest for a consensus candidate out of the four has clearly collapsed, will go ahead and face screening and indeed contest the PDP presidential primaries.

“This is in consonance with his acclaimed outlook as a pan-Nigerian candidate, with pedigree of national service as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, life member of the Body of Benchers and now in his second and final term as the Governor of Sokoto state,” the TCO statement said.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal