2019: Katsina PDP Guber Candidate Picks Chairman as Running Mate

By Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Katsina State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Salisu Yusuf Majigiri, has been chosen as the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 general election, Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke.

The state chairman of the party was said to have emerged as the preferred choice of both the party and the candidate after a series of consultations by PDP chieftains across the 34 local government areas of the state.

THISDAY reliably gathered on Wednesday that Majigiri, Danmarke and some stakeholders in the party met behind closed-doors for several hours, where some names were considered before Majigiri was said to have been finally picked.

A PDP stalwart, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the PDP chairman was considered ahead of others because of numerous factors, adding that: “There were many names that were brought to the table for consideration. I will not want to dwell on those names so that such people will not feel slighted.”

Confirming the development to THISDAY in a telephone conversation, Majigiri said: “The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Yakubu Lado, has chosen me as his running mate for the 2019 governornatorial election in the state.

“It was a unanimous decision taken yesterday night by all the 15 House of Representatives, 34 state Assembly and three Senate aspirants of our great party, PDP. We held a meeting at the PDP headquarters. It started at about 10pm and ended 11pm where all the stakeholders of PDP agreed that I should be Lado’s running mate in next year’s election.

“This ticket will be able to steer our state back on the path of progress, economic prosperity, employment generation, youths empowernment and unity.”

Meanwhile, political analysts in the state are of the opinion that the choice of Majigiri as Lado’s running mate would harmpar the quest of the party to reclaimed power in the state come 2019, reaffirming that Majigiri has “no political wells” to solicit the mandate of the electorate to vote PDP.

However, efforts made to reach Senator Lado for comments on the development proved abortive as calls and text messages sent to his phone lines were unanswered as of press time.