Contrary to various speculations, the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has said that all aspirants contesting the October 11 Adamawa governorship election will be subjected to party`s primaries.
Speculations have been rife that former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, who recently defected to the party from the All Progressives Congress, would be allowed to fly the party’s flag as a consensus candidate.
However, speaking on Friday when he received Alhaji Buba Marwa, the National Organising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubarkar Mustapha said all the candidates would be allowed to test their popularity.
Abubakar, who described Marwa, a former Military Administrator, as a man who performed greatly in public service and that PDP was lucky to have his likes in its fold.
He assured that the PDP under its current leadership would ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants, noting that the September party primaries would be fair, just, credible and transparent.
“We are doing this with all sense of responsibility because if all the aspirants realise that the exercise to produce a candidate is transparent, they will agree that the people have spoken.
“Hence the people have spoken, it means that God has spoken and they will rally round whoever emerges through credible exercise.
“We have no doubt that with your track records, you will undergo the process with decorum and decency’’, he said.
The PDP organising secretary assured that the party would support whoever emerged as its candidate at the primaries for the election to reclaim Adamawa.
Earlier, Marwa said that if given the opportunity to govern Adamawa, he would ensure better service delivery to improve the lives of the people of the state.
“I am fully convinced with all humility that I have the intellectual capacity and experienced required to this exalted office, which I had previously served in similar capacity twice,’’ he said. Marwa said the North-East, especially Adamawa, was facing challenging times in areas of security which was hindering the state progress.
He explained that with his military and intelligent background and as a former governor in the North-East and Lagos State, he would ensure that security in Adamawa was restored.
“Upper most in my mind is the need to quadruple the space of physical development in our great state.
“It is for these reasons and due to poverty in Adamawa that we will pursue the cardinal programmes of our party to make life more meaningful for the people,’’ he said.
The former Lagos State military administrator said it was unfortunate that Adamawa was at the bottom of the ladder of all states due to unsatisfactory past leadership.
Marwa said he would replicate his development stride in Lagos and Borno if elected as governor of the state.
He said that he had applied for waver from the PDP leadership and expressed optimism that his request would be granted.
He expressed the hope that the party leadership would adhered to the principles of internal democracy and ensure due process at all elections.
Marwa is one of the 14 aspirants that had purchased the PDP expression of interest form to contest the Adamawa governorship election.
Others are the Acting Governor, Alhaji Umar Fintiri, Dr Ahmed Gulak, a former Political Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Alhaji Hawwa Tukur, son of the immediate past PDP National Chairman.
The others were Dr Aliyu Idi Hong, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Umar Ardo and Malam Nuhu Ribadu.
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