The aspiration of governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State to emerge as the torchbearer of the leading opposition political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been sealed following his tie with former senate president, during PDP northern consensus arrangement organized by notable elders from the region.
Bala Mohammed, and former senate president Bukola Saraki have during the election got ten votes each striking ties as the most favored aspirants to fly the party’s flag.
The four major presidential aspirants of the PDP of northern extraction have set up a committee to form a consensus among themselves in the build up to the party primaries of PDP.
The aspirants are; Governor Bala Mohammed, former senate president Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Mohammed Hayatudeen.
But a PDP chieftain in Adamawa, Umar Bello Jada who spoke on the development in a phone chat with our reporter said it is an indicator of where the next presidential candidate of PDP should come from.
From the result of the contest, it is apparent that Bala Mohammed is going to steal the show and pick the presidential ticket.
“Mohammed from his work experience and record of service will be more acceptable to Nigerians because he was a former senator, a former minsiter of the Federal Capital Territory and now a governor.
“As an astute technocrat who worked as one of the best ministers of FCT, we can easily conclude that governor Bala Mohammed is one Nigerian with vast network of friends and connections across every strata of Nigerian life.
“He is one of the voices of stability when he stoutly stood in favour of the doctrine of necessity which provided avenue for president Goodluck Jonathan to emerge as substantive president of Nigeria during the succession imbroglio that greeted the last days of Yar’adua in office.
“With such credentials and record of service, the presidential ambition of governor Bala Mohammed to carry our party’s flag in 2023 is sealed,” he said.
Professor Abdullahi who chaired the conduct of the polls that led to the emergence of Mohammed and Saraki said the decision to present the two was reached at the end of the three-phase screening exercise.
He said former Nigerian Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida advised the four aspirants to reach a consensus and that the recommendations of his report were submitted to and “endorsed and approved” by the former Nigerian leader.
In the first phase, 36 zonal delegates were asked to vote for the aspirants of their choice among the four.
Saraki and Mohammed led the pack with 10 votes each while Tambuwal and Hayatu-deen scored 7 and 5 votes respectively.
Two delegates abstained while one deferred his vote.
In the second round of screening, North Central, where Saraki is from, was favoured the most, scoring 8 votes. Mohammed and Hayatu-deen’s North East came second with 7. Tambuwal’s North West had only two votes.
