PDP Has No Preferred Candidates, Secondus Tells Kogi, Bayelsa Guber Aspirants

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday charged the governorship aspirants of the party in Kogi and Bayelsa states in the November 16 governorship elections to take their campaigns to the ad-hoc delegates as they alone would determine the flag bearers of party in the two states.

Secondus also stated categorically that the party has no preferred candidates in the emergence of governorship candidates, pledging that the party would ensure transparent governorship primary elections in the two states.

The PDP chairman spoke yesterday when he addressed the governorship aspirants from Kogi and Bayelsa states at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

According to him, “The election of the ad-hoc delegates will resume soon, as from Thursday. The elections will be transparently done to the satisfaction of all. The party and indeed the National Working Committee have no preferred candidates. We can’t do that to the detriment of the party.

“Our only duty is to ensure that only the best candidates emerge. We will follow the rules to the letter because we want the best. Anyone that tells you that the party has a preferred candidate is deceiving you. The era of impunity in the party is gone. As the National Chairman, I will not preside where anyone will claim that he or she is the preferred candidate of the party.”

Secondus therefore urged the aspirants to take their campaigns to the delegates, saying they are the ones that would determine those that would emerge as the governorship candidates in the two states.

Meanwhile, the panel for the screening of the governorship aspirants from Kogi State has cleared all the 13 aspirants that purchased the nomination forms for the governorship forms.

Some of those cleared include: Senator Dino Maleye; Doris Wada; and the son of a former governor, Abubakar Idris; among others.

Also, the Bayelsa State Screening Committee headed by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has also cleared a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe; Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, John Jonah; the Secretary to the State Government, Kamela Okara; Senator Douye Diri; and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Fred Agbedi; among others.

All the aspirants cleared for the primary elections have given their Screening Certificates that would enable them stand for the primary elections slated for September 3.