PDP: 13 Presidential Aspirants Emerge As Udom, Hayatu-Deen, Ohuabunwa Pick Forms
The number of presidential aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has risen to 13 as three more, including Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, a businessman, Muhammad Hayatudeen Wednesday, obtained nomination forms.
Those who obtained presidential nomination forms earlier are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Presidents of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Anyim Pius Anyim, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, Publisher of Ovation International, Dele Momodu, Oliver Diana Teriela and Nwachukwu Anakwenze.
With this number of aspirants, the Iyorchia Ayu-led PDP has generated some N520 million from the sale of presidential nomination forms alone.
Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has declared interest but is yet to obtain the form. Recall that the party produced a total of 12 presidential aspirants in 2019 before it picked Atiku at its convention held in Port Harcourt in 2018.
In separate remarks after collecting their forms, the aspirants canvass extraordinary measures to tackle the problems of insecurity in the country. They believe that the increasing level of insecurity in Nigeria has reached an abnormal situation and as such, the solution needs extraordinary measures.
One of the aspirants, Hayatu-Deen, said: “This is a national emergency and understanding and dealing with this issue is not the exclusive preserve of the armed forces or the military, the entire society needs to be brought in. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary solutions. We need to build up the size of the military, retrain, re-arm and provide them with the tools that they need so that they can fight this battle successfully.”
In his own views, another aspirant, Ohuabunwa, lamented that “our country is now languishing in the throes of chronic retrogression and decay in all indices of nationhood.
“Unprecedented insecurity stalks the land and citizens’ lives are at the daily mercy of all manner of criminals across the country. Our economy gets more downgraded and distressed, with falling Naira value, hyperinflation, disinvestment, industrial unrest and endless borrowings as some of the symptoms.”
Udom Emmanuel’s form was obtained for him by a group led by Innocent Orji.
Also yesterday, Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, obtained a governorship nomination form to seek re-election as governor of the state.
The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) yesterday extended the sale of nomination forms for all offices from the initial deadline of April 1 to April 8, 2022. The National Organising Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, made this known in a statement.
The party also said “the last day for the return of already completed forms for both the state House of Assembly and National Assembly aspirants are rescheduled to April 10, while their screening was moved to April 12 and 14 respectively.”
The PDP had pegged its nomination and expression of interest forms for presidential aspirants at N40 million, while state House of Assembly expression of interest is N100,000; nomination form, N500,000. For House of Representatives: expression of interest is N500,000; nomination form, N2,000,000; while Senate expression of interest is N500,000; nomination form, N3,000,000; and for governorship: expression of interest is N1,000,000; nomination form, 20,000,000.
