Former Governor of Jigawa State and one of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftains in the country, Sule Lamido, has slammed northern elders over the recent endorsement of two aspirants as the party’s consensus presidential candidates.
Lamido stated this in a statement, which he personally signed and issued to news men on Saturday.
He was reacting to the outcome of a northern leaders’ meeting in Minna, Niger State, where former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed were shortlisted as northern consensus candidates.
In a communique signed by former Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the northern leaders said the election of Saraki and Bala Mohammed was arrived at based on certain criteria adopted in the assessment of the four aspirants who submitted themselves for the exercise.
Reacting, however, Lamido said endorsement was a personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the north.
According to him, “The attention of key stakeholders of the PDP in the Northern State is drawn to reports in the Media that some Northern Elders have shortlisted two of our prominent and deserving aspirants as consensus PDP presidential candidates.
“Having widely consulted party leaders across the 19 northern states and FCT, it is hereby stated to our teeming party members and the general public that what is reported in the media is only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the north.
“Discussions are ongoing with all the aspirants in our party with a view to having a Consensus if possible or at least working towards having a smooth acrimony-free national convention.”
“The position of the Northern Elders is not only injurious to the North but equally injurious to the northern aspirants!”
