2023 Presidency: PDP Northern Elders Endorse Bala Mohammed, Bukola Saraki

Northern elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have championed Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed and Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki as the agreement candidate of the party.

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

Giving the recommendation of the Northern Elders to Intelligencers at the Uphill Residence of Babangida, Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, said that the two applicants have been prompted to work together to make allowance for farther consultations to come up with one agreement seeker.

For the purpose of this exercise, it’s 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 agreement candidate for the moment,” he says.

“The effective aspirant are therefore asked to cooperate to consider further counsels to cultivate understanding among themselves and the PDP people group to guarantee an animosity free primaries in which all qualified aspirant would be allowed to practice their right.”

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

He said that General Babangida decided for addition through wider discussion 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 campaigners assessment, zonal assessment and PDP former gests.

“In the main stage, the assessments of six recognized people each from the three geopolitical zones were looked for with respect to every one of the four hopefuls. Each of the Zonal delegates was allocated two votes to choose the first and alternate choice making a aggregate of 36 votes overall.

The outgrowth of that discussion 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.

“ One of the elders remitted his votes on grounds of continuing consultations with traditional autocrats and other major stakeholders. Two members didn’t cast their alternate ballots bringing the aggregate to 32 votes cast out of 36,” he said.

He said it was also resolved that a leading applicant from North Central and one from North East are to be presented as northern presidential campaigners.

“The two would thusly be expected to make further concessions so that in the end one of them would be introduced as the agreement candidate, out of the four that introduced themselves from the north”.

Also speaking to Intelligencers, the Governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed said that he and Saraki would meet to come up with one agreement Presidential seeker adding that they will do their stylish to make concinnity for the north and Nigeria.

“We have agreed to look for agreement with the goal that we can close position and assemble solidarity for the Nigeria and north. We’re happy that after due process and due discussion, involving the PDP Northern Elders Forum, I and Saraki have been chosen as Northern agreement candidate.

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We’ll go ahead and consult further among ourselves and bring out one seeker.” He stated that those who haven’t made it are free to aspire if they wish while appreciating Babangida, the northern elders and other members of PDP for the confidence they’ve in them.

“ The criteria used are transparent and respectable to all of us. We aren’t proud or arrogant about this outgrowth, we’re taking it with modesty and we will make sure we reach out to others to make sure PDP comes up with a agreement seeker free of rancour and division so that we can give Nigerians the leadership they dearly need at this time.”

He clarified that the agreement is the representation of the north adding that conversations are ongoing with other applicants from the south.