As Senate President Bukola Saraki swells the rank of recent defectors gunning for the PDP presidential ticket in 2019, the opposition has decided as a party not to support his ambition.
Not only Saraki, but also APC defectors Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, Gov. Aminu Tanbuwal, his PDP colleague Ibrahim Dankwabo, ex-VP Atiku Abubakar, former Govs. Sule Lamido, Attahiru Bafarawa, and Ibrahim Shekarau.
According to the PDP publicity secretary who said the party wants to avoid past mistakes, the ambitions of these aspirants depend on Nigerians because the party won’t impose any candidate.
“Nigerians desiring change can’t get it in the APC. They are looking at the PDP. We don’t want to disappoint them again,” Kola Ologbondiyan said in an interview with the Punch.
Listing factors he claimed Nigerians are debating, including age, experience, credibility, and others, Ologbondiyan said what Nigerians say about the kind of candidate they want will inform the party’s choice.
“We don’t want the party to be damaged again over allegations of imposition.”
The parties, in Nigeria’s electoral process, determine their candidates during primary elections before the general elections when Nigerians are allowed to vote.
Many analysts already foresee the PDP heading for crises again, looking at the kind of politicians who dumped the party before 2015, and are now returning to secure tickets.
Insiders say Tambuwal, for instance, has the support of the PDP governors, the reason he jumped ship last Tuesday. Yet Dankwabo, a PDP governor, is in the race with him.
Saraki, many are of the opinion, with his credibility baggage, is relying on his popularity to secure the presidential ticket which the like of Atiku has been scheming for on the basis of his restructuring campaign.
Atiku defected earlier than any of the returnees–last November.
Saraki, Tambuwal, and Kwankwaso left the PDP before the 2015 election–because they believed it lacked internal demicracy.