There are strong indications that the Peoples Democratic Party has settled for indirect primary to pick its 2023 presidential candidate on May 29.
It was also gathered that the opposition party was looking at ways of reducing its current 17 presidential aspirants by encouraging consensus talks among them so that some of them would step down.
Sources in the party, who spoke to our correspondents on Sunday, said the ongoing consensus talks among some aspirants were not aimed at presenting a single aspirant at the presidential primary of the party.
It was learnt the party had no plan to impose a candidate on members, but it was encouraging talks among intending presidential candidates so that some of them would voluntarily step down to reduce post-primary crises.
As of Sunday, members who had obtained forms for the presidential primary included the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; a United States-based medical doctor, Nwachukwu Anakwenze; media mogul, Dele Momodu; Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike; Investment banker and economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel; a pharmacist, Sam Ohuabunwa, and former Ekiti governor, Ayo Fayose.
Others are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; a former President of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim and the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, as well as the only female aspirant in the race, Tareila Diana.
But four of the aspirants —Tambuwal, Mohammed, Saraki and Hayatu-Deen— have been going round the country with the aim of ensuring that the party presents a consensus candidate.
There were reports on Sunday that the option being canvassed by the four aspirants had failed as they had not succeeded in convincing others to support the move.
But a member of the party’s National Working Committee, who confided in The PUNCH, stated, “The party is in support of the move by the four aspirants. It is not to force anybody to step down, but to reduce the number of the aspirants we currently have to three or four before May 29 and from all indications, we are going to adopt indirect primary. ”
(Punch)