The Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has rejected an arrangement that produced Bukola Saraki and Bala Mohammed as the northern consensus candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for next year’s presidential election.
Mr Tambuwal, in a statement by his campaign office, said the arrangement has failed and he is now prepared for a primary election.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Gov Tambuwal has submitted his Presidential nomination forms and 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,” his campaign office wrote.
OBSERVERSTIMES reported that a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, were chosen as northern consensus candidates of the PDP.
The duo were shortlisted by northern leaders of the party ahead of its presidential primary on May 28.
Their emergence was part of the recommendations made by a committee which is made up if northern leaders and presidential aspirants in the party.
The recommendations were contained in a communique signed by former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Ango Abdullahi, Vanguard reports.
Mr Tambuwal, however, says the announcement by Mr Abdullahi is false.
Apart from Messrs Tambuwal, Saraki and Mohammed, PDP has other presidential aspirants like ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi