The Presidency on Monday disowned a group planning to embark on risk assessment of aspirants contesting elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The group had allegedly gone to town to say it had the mandate of the Presidency to carry out the screening exercise with a view to weeding “undesirable” elements among the aspirants so as to present the best among them for the 2015 elections.
However, the Presidency in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, said the alleged support given to the group by President Goodluck Jonathan was not true.
Alkali said it was not the responsibility of any group to assess or screen PDP aspirants but the the prerogative of the national secretariat of the party.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs has been drawn to publications in some of the national dailies of November 22, 2014, claiming that the Presidency has endorsed plans by some Support Groups to carry out a so- called risk assessment of aspirants contesting elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“While the Special Adviser recognises the patriotic zeal of all the Support Groups and their activities in favour of the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential Election, the office wishes to warn all groups to desist from using the Office of the Special Adviser to the President, Political Affairs, to carry out programmes or activities without due authorisation or permission from the office.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I wish to make it abundantly clear that the function of determining the suitability of candidates for elections belongs exclusively to the National Leadership of PDP and not to any other group.
“My office is aware that the party has put in place screening committees for all offices and they should be left to perform their functions.
“We wish to therefore call on Support Groups to adhere strictly to the policies and principles of President Jonathan in the conduct of their activities and wish to also advise all groups rooting for his re-election to always refer to the Office of the Political Adviser who is also the National Coordinator of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) before embarking on any project or programmes that have serious policy implication in the party or government.”
Alkali advised all PDP aspirants to distance themselves from any group that approaches them for screening outside the panel set up by the national leadership of the PDP.
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