The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disclosed that, contrary to the impression in some quarters, it was not in a dilemma over the high number of presidential aspirants in the party for the 2019 polls.
In a chat with Daily Independent on Monday, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said rather than being confused, the leadership of the party was happy with the development and would still open its doors to as many aspirants as possible.
Among the personalities who have indicated interest to contest for the presidential ticket of the party are Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president; Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa State, and Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State and immediate past chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee.
Others are Senate President Bukola Saraki; Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto State; Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, former governor of Kano State; Ibrahim Dankwambo, governor of Gombe State; Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State, and Kabiru Turaki, former Minister of Special Duties.
Ologbondiyan said the fact that majority of these aspirants were trooping to PDP showed they believed that the party stood a chance of producing the president in 2019.
He said: “It is wrong for people to say our party is in a dilemma due to the increasing number of presidential aspirants that we have. We are not in a dilemma by any measure.
“If anything, the number of aspirants seeking to be the presidential candidate of our great party, the PDP, is a healthy development.
“It has enabled Nigerians to realise the fact that majority of Nigerians are aligning with the PDP.
“That is why a lot of people, especially politicians, are deserting the disintegrating and dysfunctional APC, and coming to the PDP.
“So, there is no dilemma of any sort in our having more presidential aspirants. As a matter of fact, nobody can aspire to be president on the platform of the APC because the party is presently stuck with a candidate that cannot win an election.
As at today, the only party that can provide the opportunity and give Nigerians the right of choice as to select a credible presidential candidate that will restore Nigeria to the right track is the PDP.
“That is why many of these presidential aspirants are trooping to the PDP and, as a democratic party, our doors are wide open to accommodate them. To us, it is the more, the merrier.”
