2023: PDP Northern Elders Pick Saraki, Mohammed As Consensus Candidates

• The two aspirants have been urged to work together to make allowance for further consultations to come up with one consensus candidate

• Ango said that the process is conducted in three stages which include candidates assessment, zonal assessment and PDP previous experiences

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Northern elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have endorsed Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed and Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki as the consensus candidates of the party.

The group made the decision after a meeting with General Ibrahim Babangida on Friday in Minna.

Giving the recommendation of the Northern Elders to Journalists at the Uphill Residence of Babangida, Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, said that the two aspirants have been urged to work together to make allowance for further consultations to come up with one consensus candidate.

“For the purpose of this exercise, it is hereby resolved that Governor Bala Mohammed from the North East and former Senate President Bukola Saraki from the North Central be presented as the northern consensus candidates for the moment,” he said.

“The successful aspirants are hereby urged to work together to make allowance for further consultations to foster understanding among themselves and the PDP community to ensure a rancour free primaries in which all eligible candidates would be free to exercise their right.”

According to Ango, four aspirants from northern Nigeria presented themselves for the consensus including Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Governor Bala Mohammed, Dr Bukola Saraki, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

He said that General Babangida opted for inclusion through wider consultation and assigned him to design a criteria and carry out the necessary consultations with elders and leaders across the three geopolitical zones in the north.

Ango said that the process is conducted in three stages which include candidates assessment, zonal assessment and PDP previous experiences.

“In the first phase, the opinions of six distinguished persons each from the three geopolitical zones were sought with regards to each of the four aspirants.

“Each of the Zonal delegates was allocated two votes to choose the first and second choice making a total of 36 votes overall.

The outcome of that consultation was as follows: Seven votes for Aminu Waziri, 10 votes for Bala Mohammed, 10 votes for Bukola Saraki and five votes for Mohammed Hayatu-deen.

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“One of the elders deferred his votes on grounds of continuing consultations with traditional rulers and other major stakeholders. Two members did not cast their second ballots bringing the total to 32 votes cast out of 36,” he said.

He said it was then resolved that a leading aspirant from North Central and one from North East are to be presented as northern presidential candidates.

“The two would in turn be required to make further concessions so that in the end one of them would be presented as the consensus candidate, out of the four that presented themselves from the north”.

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