The alleged shortlisting of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi; and Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, for consideration for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 2027 presidential ticket, yesterday, caused a stir in the party.

One of the presidential aspirants from the North, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, warned against a plot to use former President Jonathan as a ‘spoiler’ ahead of the PDP presidential primary, noting however, that Jonathan could run for the seat.

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, had reportedly said that the PDP had shortlisted three Southern aspirants, including Jonathan, as possible flag bearers.

The party recently zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, of which some leaders have been wooing Jonathan and Obi, who left the party in 2022, to run on PDP’s platform.

In an exclusive chat with Vanguard, PDP Deputy National Legal Adviser, Mr. Okechukwu Osuoha, said party leaders were holding intense behind-the-scenes negotiations and internal discussions to decide who will emerge as the party’s flagbearer for the next general elections.

His comments followed Moro’s statement naming Jonathan, Obi, and Makinde among those being considered for the ticket.

Moro also said other qualified candidates from the South could still join the race as consultations progressed.

Alleged shortlists are speculations

Osuoha said: “Those names (Jonathan, Obi, Makinde) you mentioned are still speculations. Right now, what is involved in the party is all about negotiations, and the discussions are going on, people trying to find out who will be the credible or the best candidate.”

He clarified that while public attention currently focuses on the three prominent figures, other potential contenders from across the South were actively engaging stakeholders in private talks aimed at selecting a candidate who could unite the PDP and challenge the ruling party in 2027.

“For now, what I know is more paramount in the party is to put it in order, especially the national convention,” he said.

Osuoha stressed that the national convention would mark the first major step in preparations for 2027 by electing new national officers to lead the party for the next four years.

He added that after the convention, party leaders would shift focus to reducing the number of presidential aspirants, ahead of the primaries.

“It is during that period we will now be able to narrow it down to those who are going to contest. As far as I’m concerned, the party will want to conduct a free and fair primary to maintain transparency and show that when we talk about democracy, we are actually living by example,” Osuoha stated.

He explained further that although several people were expected to declare interest, the PDP’s zoning arrangement would determine who might eventually clinch the ticket.

“Primarily, what will now guide their decision will be the fact that the party has zoned the presidency to the South. So, whoever will contest must come from the South-West, South-East, or South-South,” Osuoha stated.

He emphasised that regional balance and party unity would play key roles in the final choice of candidate, noting that the PDP must secure internal stability before entering the election season.

Speaking on the issue, the North West arm of Gbenga Hashim Vanguard in a statement signed by the group’s North West Coordinator, Aminu Bala Wudilawa, yesterday, cautioned against any move that would be ‘provincial and dangerous’ for party unity.

Reacting to reports credited to Senator Abba Moro that the PDP had allegedly shortlisted three Southern aspirants, including Jonathan, as possible flag bearers, Wudilawa insisted that only duly elected delegates, in line with the Electoral Act, had the mandate to determine the party’s presidential candidate.

“The PDP cannot afford to repeat the mistake of 2015 when President Jonathan was misled into a provincialist approach that weakened the party and cost us power.

“The party is not sectional; it belongs to all Nigerians, North and South. Any attempt to reduce the process to ethnic politics will be resisted,” Wudilawa added.

Attempts to edge out North

He stressed that while Jonathan had every constitutional right to contest, restricting the ticket to the South was a deliberate ploy to edge out competent Northern aspirants such as Dr. Gbenga Hashim, a founding member of the PDP and its first deputy national publicity secretary.

Wudilawa described Hashim as a democrat who sacrificed for the return of democracy, a successful entrepreneur, and one of the ‘cleanest hands’ in Nigerian politics.

“Dr. Hashim represents the forward-looking leadership Nigerians desire, not a return to corruption, ineptitude and provincialism,” the coordinator declared.

The group reaffirmed its support for Hashim’s presidential ambition, insisting that Nigerians were yearning for a leader with a firm grasp of economics and national security.

“Insha Allah, that leader is Dr. Gbenga Hashim. No spoiler tactic will be allowed to shut the door against his aspiration,” Wudilawa added. (Vanguard)