Gulak
A former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, has asked former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, to apologize to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, if he wants the ruling party to accept him with open arms.
Gulak, who is in the race for the Adamawa Government House in the governorship bye-election scheduled for October 11, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja after picking a nomination form.
“I am here today to come and pick the PDP forms of expression of interest and nomination forms for the governorship primary election in Adamawa State beginning with the Ward congresses on the 1st September and culminating in the State Congress where a candidate will be picked by transparent, free and fair primary election by the delegates on 6th September, 2014”, he said.
“I have picked the forms and, in accordance with the guidelines, I will go back to my state and fill the forms and return the forms on the 20th of this month. I am going to participate in the exercise in the build up to the governorship bye-election in Adamawa State, scheduled to take place on the 11th of October, 2014.
“I believe we in the PDP will conduct ourselves as mature democrats, unlike other opposition parties”, he added.
When asked to react to reports that negotiations were on to hand Ribadu the ticket, the aspirant said: “Nuhu Ribadu is a friend and a brother; we have come a long way. Nuhu Ribadu, you will vividly remember, was a presidential candidate under the ACN in 2011 and when there was this merger of opposition parties to form APC, Nuhu Ribadu was in the vanguard of the merger talks.
“He was part and parcel of APC and he is still part and parcel of APC. Up to this moment I am talking to you, Nuhu Ribadu has not come out to say he has decamped from APC to PDP, but if he decides to summersault and eat his words, then he is welcome to PDP”.
Continuing, Gulak recalled that during a visit by APC bigwigs to former military Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari “with APC juggernauts, people like Ahmed Bola Tinubu, La Mohammed, Nasir El-Rufai, among others, Nuhu Ribadu was interviewed by a radio in Kaduna and he said, ‘even for a free presidential ticket, I can never join PDP.’
“If he decides to eat his words, he is welcome. Our party is always open for everybody, whether you are from APC, APGA, PPA, whatever party you may call yourself. If you decide to jump ship and join PDP, you are welcome.
“Nuhu Ribadu is welcome anytime, any day, but let me assure you that whether you are in APC or PDP it is the people that will select and elect their governor, that will select and elect their president, that will select and elect their senator, House of Reps, local government chairmen.
“Nobody sits somewhere to decide for the people who becomes their governor. The people you know spoke in Anambra State; the people you know spoke in Edo State; the people you know spoke Ekiti State; the people you know spoke in Osun State and Adamawa people will be allowed to speak”, said the ex-presidential aide.
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