PDP Presidential Aspirants

The two-day National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, started today and will end on Sunday.

The Nigeria's main opposition party will be electing its presidential candidate to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2019 presidential election.

The party has 13 aspirants jostling for the sole ticket of the party in the primaries that will be held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The PDP has settled for the indirect mode of primaries to pick its candidate.

The candidates fighting for the party’s single ticket are former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; A two-time Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and a former Minister of Education and two-time Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau.

Others candidates are two-time Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi: Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto state; the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki; A former member of the House of Representatives, Datti Baba-Ahmed; the immediate past President of the Senate, David Mark; and a former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang.

Read the situation room report below as reported by the DAILY POST live from the Rivers State capital, as things unfolds:

12:30 pm

All the aspirants are currently in a crucial closed door meeting ahead of the presidential primary

Delegates from Imo and Anambra States gathered and speak to Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki at the venue of the convention.

After meeting with the delegates, Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, also qouted Saraki’s media team as saying that “Saraki, Obi In Crucial Meeting Ahead of Today’s Convention: Dr. Saraki and former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Peter Obi, met this morning in Port Harcourt”

12:01 pm

Delegates from Imo and Anambra States gathered and speak to Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki at the venue of the convention.

Peter Obi and Bukola Saraki

The Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, after meeting with the delegates, qouted Saraki’s media team as saying that “Saraki, Obi In Crucial Meeting Ahead of Today’s Convention: Dr. Saraki and former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Peter Obi, met this morning in Port Harcourt”

Saraki addressing a section of the PDP delegates

11:00 am

Delegates, food vendors, traders in various consumables, stickers and caps have set up canopies around the Adokiye Amasiemaka Stadium, venue of the 2018 National Convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents at the venue report that some of the delegates have also been sleeping in vehicles parked within the open spaces around the stadium since Oct. 5.

Similarly, posters of the 13 aspirants jostling for the party’s Presidential ticket at the Convention conspicuously adorned streets leading to the stadium.

The aspirants are: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Sen. Bukola Saraki; Ibrahim Dankwambo;Rabiu Kwankwaso; Aminu Tambuwal; Ahmed Makarfi; and Jonah Jang.

Others are: Sen. David Mark; Sule Lamido; Atahiru Bafarawa; Tanimu Turaki; Datti Baba-Ahmed; and Stanley Osifo.

The presence of Nigeria Police personnel and sister security agencies were also noticeable at the stadium gates and around the stadium to maintain law and order.

Praise singers with various musical instruments professing the virtues of their candidates also thronged the venue.

Accreditation of delegates had not started at the time of filing this report.

A delegate, Alhaji Kure Aminu, told NAN at the Sokoto State pavilion that delegates from the state were ready for the convention, saying that Tambuwal, who is also from Sokoto State, would win.

Delegates from Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo separately told NAN that they were voting for aspirants they believed would win the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the PDP.

Garba Iliyasu, a delegate from Bauchi State, also expressed confidence that PDP would win in the 2019 elections.