Convention: PDP Presidential Aspirants To Sign A Bond

In what appears a move aimed at causing a possible post-convention crisis, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has finalized plans to to commit all its Presidential aspirants in the 2019 general elections to a bond.

Expected to be signed this week, the bond concluded, following the party’s resolution at the 82nd National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting last week that all aspirants should unite behind the Presidential flag bearer after Saturday’s convention in Port Harcourt.

PDP National secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan while speaking with newsmen today, said despite the plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to disturb its ranks during the convention, the party will emerge from the exercise a more united platform determined to win power at the center in 2019.

He said aspirants are showing confidence as they match to the convention, stressing however that they are aware that only one of them will emerge the candidate at the end of the day.

He said: “Our resolve to conduct a free, fair, credible and acceptable convention is total and the party is fully committed to this. This week, all the Presidential aspirants will sign a bond not only to accept the outcome of the process but also to support whoever emerges winner of the ticket.

“The PDP has the experience, the capacity and focus to restore our people’s confidence in this nation having witnessed more than three and a half years of unfulfilled promises by the APC-led government.”

While it is not clear yet if the agreement will be signed in Abuja or Port Harcourt, the publicity scribe dismissed fear of possible crisis as a fallout of the convention saying what would have warranted such, have been addressed by the leadership of the party.

“It is common for people to nurse fears because convention is a big event. As a rebranded and repositioned platform, the National Working Committee has no preferred aspirant as we believe they are all good for the Office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“They (aspirants) have been meeting with party leaders and delegates and at the end, the choice of the delegates is the choice of the party. For this reason, everyone believe and rightly so that that the field is open and the best will emerge in Port Harcourt,” he added.

On Saturday, about 3, 619 delegates will converge in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital to pick a Presidential candidate for the party from a pack of 13 aspirants made up of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; Senate President, Bukola Saraki; and governors of Sokoto and Gombe states, Aminu Tambuwal and Ibrahim Dankwambo respectively.

Others include erstwhile governors of Kaduna, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano and Plateau states, Ahmed Makarfi, Attahiru Bafarawa, Sule Lamido, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Jonah Jang respectively as well as immediate past Senate President, David Mark, businessman and ex-lawmaker, Datti Baba-Ahmed and Stanley Osifo.