PDP presidential ticket: Gov. Emmanuel, Ohuabunwa, Hayatudeen pick nomination forms

. As Wike meets PDP NASS caucus

. Party extends sale of forms by a week

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

Activities at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have continued to hot up with several aspirants obtaining the expression of interest and nomination forms for different various political offices.

 

On Wednesday three more presidential aspirants including Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom state, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa and Mohammed Hayatudeen purchased their forms.

 

Also Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike who also picked his nomination forms had on Tuesday night met with the National Assembly caucus at the Transcorp Hilton in an event graced by notable PDP leaders including Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde.

 

Governor Wike told his audience that he was in the race not just to contest but to win.

 

“And I will be in front, I am not going to travel, I will be here because you must show leadership, I will be at the front, if they bullet, let it reach me first, that is what they call leadership.

 

“To manage Rivers state is not an easy thing. Suswan has come to commission projects, minority leader has come to commission projects, so many people, I have transformed Rivers state. Allow me this opportunity and see the way I will transform Nigeria, it will be unprecedented.

 

“Poverty does not know religion, insecurity does not know ethnicity. The poverty has ravaged Nigeria in the north and in the south, hunger everywhere, so why not get somebody that is prepared for this work, that is so energetic.”

 

“PDP requires a strong and determined person. I am presenting myself, I am qualified. So let nobody think oh you came here because of zoning but I will come to that too.

People say this Wike he shouts too much, who has problems that will not shout. Don’t shout whether you won’t die there.

 

“So I have come to solicit, give me your votes, don’t waste it, this is the man that will deliver. Some of you say some people don’t like you, must everybody like you, when everybody likes you then you have a problem.

What is important is, for now, who can do this job. Who can go and meet APC, the fight has started. And I am sure APC wherever they are now, they are not sleeping because they know I have come out and it will not be easy.

So many things are going wrong, people will not say the truth. To tell you I am serious, yesterday we set up our legal team, twenty something SANs, I am fully prepared for this and everybody who is working with me, will not have any legal challenge because you will take from the pool. Nobody supporting me here will go to court on their own, our team will take care of it. If I say I am working with you, your problems are my problems and my own problems are your own problems; so we must share it equal.

 

The governor also justified why the party must zone the presidency to the South saying, “In 2017 we zoned and everybody knew I championed Tambuwal’s election, I have no regret about it, if such an opportunity comes again I will do the same thing but let us tell ourselves the truth and that was why nobody came from the South to even collect form. We all agreed, zone it here, it doesn’t stop you from running election. But don’t scatter what the founding fathers have laid down because of your selfish interest, no, agree.”

 

Similarly,  Dr. Ahmed Isa and the founder of Brekete family, Radio and television also bought a presidential form for Gov. Emmanuel Udom.

 

The spokesperson of the group, Innocent Orji while speaking we the media said, “The reason behind all this is because what we witness since the independence is not something to write home about. Hence, the change will start with us this time around. He said that we, the Brekete family globally will purchase 10 nominees, that’s presidential forms. Each person that want to participate must have outstanding antecedents and we must purchase the form; that is the only way we can get the best way to say enough of all this and you must give account of your stewardship. We are starting from this particular person today. That’s why we purchased one today for the person of Dr. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom state. This is just the starting point.

 

“When he came to Human right radio and television for the program Brekete, he came on his own and he presented all he has done within the time, his short time in the States, you people can testify to that, we don’t believe until we’ll see. So we decided to do proper investigation on our own. We traveled to Akwa Ibom and saw everything that he said, and we even discovered that there are many he didn’t mention. As a result of that, we are of the opinion that if he can do that, in his own state, we have the opinion that he will do even better in Nigeria as a whole. Based on this, we said we are nominating him that we will purchase this form for his presidential nominee come 2023. That is the only way we can make this country a better place.

 

“So the idea of holding somebody accountability will take place because if we are joined together and put him there, no one person in any form or shape will claim ownership that he installed him, that he is one that paid for him. So, as a result of this, we believe that come 2023 he will join hands together, not minding what people are doing and how they’re doing it. But with this we can achieve that desired results.”

 

Mazi Ohuabunwa who also purchased his forms said if he is elected President, he will tackle insecurity by applying high level of technology to security surveillance.

 

“With technology, you can see anybody where he’s located. With technology, you can hear, you can see with technology, we don’t even need to send physical force, we can send technologically driven forces and modern drones to get them where they are. If you have intelligence, you can hear and see. We’ll know what these people are planning before they get out with their plans, we will arrest them.

 

“I think that we need to rejig our security architecture and we need to be sure that we motivate those who fight for us.”

 

On the economy, the Pharmacist turned politician said his will turn Nigeria into an investment heaven where there will be foreign investment and local investment will be promoted by a combination of a strong foreign investment inflow and local investment motivation.

 

“We will create businesses, we will create programs, we will create projects because investments create businesses, it creates programs or project and businesses will create jobs. Jobs will create wealth and wealth.  Wealth and poverty is almost linear in straight lines, the more investment you put in any given jurisdiction, the more business you create, the more business you create, and programs and projects, the more jobs you create. Nobody creates jobs by fiction. It must be directed to productive activity, and one productive activity leverages on the other and that’s what challenge you to get employment.

 

“We will ensure that 50 percents of those who leave school go straight to business and 50 percent will go for work because in your final year in the University you spent the year designing your business plan. It doesn’t matter what you’re reading, you must tell us how you’re going to solve the society’s problem with your profession or your training. So through those two mechanisms, the youth can get job on leaving School, and they’re going to be supported by government to set their businesses.”

 

On the controversial issue of zoning, Ohuabunwa said, “The party has a policy of zoning and we recommend that they do not change the goalposts in the middle of it.”

 

Hayatudeen, another presidential hopeful said as an economists and haven gotten experience in dealing with issues, he has an understanding of what to do to settle the Nigerian issue.

 

“I have been a presidential adviser to three presidents, I was chairman of a committee on economy during the Buhari transition and we put in a beautiful report on finance and economy. I was chairman of the Nigeria economic summit group.”

 

On zoning, the former presidential adviser said, “This country has 210 million people, the constitution of Nigeria is very clear and all its relevant provisions, as to who is eligible to vote and be voted for. The electoral law of the land is clear as amended recently that anybody among these 210 million people is free to vote for who they want and to contest for any office. We are governed by the constitution.

 

“Am not aware of any referendum for the Nigerian people to vote on zoning, zoning is a matter of convenience for certain leaders and for parties to discuss and agree among themselves, it is not an imposition that everyone is bound to abide by.”

 

PDP Extends Sales of Forms, Reschedules Screening Exercises

 

Meanwhile the Party has approved the extension of sales of Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms for all elective offices in the 2023 general elections from the initial date of Friday, April 1, 2022 to a new date of Friday, April 8, 2022.

 

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party said, “In the same vein, the last day for the return of already completed Forms as well as the Screening Exercise for both the State House of Assembly and National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) have been rescheduled as follows:

 

Last dates for submission of already completed forms for State House of Assembly and National Assembly will now be Sunday, April 10, 2022. The screening will hold between Tuesday and Thursday April 12 and 14, 2022.