The Chairman of the Screening Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Aspirants in Bayelsa State, Mr Seyi Makinde, on Monday warned that the party must not contest the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states with a divided house.
He stated that the party would be fair to all the aspirants, adding that the PDP had no preferred candidates.
According to him, the party will continue to remain strong and united even after the primaries.
Makinde, who is also the Governor of Oyo State, said this in his opening speech at the commencement of the screening of the aspirants from Bayelsa State at the PDP secretariat, Wadata House, Abuja.
The governor, who said the PDP screening committee members would be fair to all the governorship aspirants, also appealed to the aspirants to cooperate with the committee to make their job easy.
Makinde said, “We will be fair to all the aspirants. The PDP has no preferred candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in Bayelsa State. We don’t want a situation whereby our party will go into the election with a divided house. We want to go into the election as one big family that we are, with a view to retaining the state.”
Two of the governorship aspirants, Mr Timi Alaibe, who is also a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, and Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd.), who is the current Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, said they were hopeful that the committee would be fair to the aspirants.
Jonah said, “I have the confidence that they (screening committee) will deliver.”
The aspirants from Kogi State were screened by the Screening Committee for Kogi State headed by the Governor of Taraba, Dirus Ishaku, at the PDP presidential campaign office in Maitama, popularly called the Legacy House.
Some of the aspirants, in separate interviews with journalists after undergoing the exercise, also said they were satisfied with the conduct of and process adopted by the committee.
A former Governor of Kogi, Capt. Idris Wada (retd.), who is also an aspirant, said the screening was satisfactory.
He said, “I am confident in the screening committee chaired by Ishaku, which is doing a thorough and professional job.
“I am satisfied with the process and I am confident in the panel. I have a very positive disposition to what they have done.”
Another aspirant, Senator Dino Melaye, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District, said the committee was professional in its assignment.
Melaye said, “The committee was very professional.”
Two other aspirants, Muhammed Tetes and Mr Victor Adoje, also expressed delight with the process.
