Benue PDP Guber Aspirants Reject Elders’ Selection

Eleven Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s governorship aspirants in Benue State have rejected the recent selection of four of their colleagues by a coalition of PDP elders, as the only candidates recognized to contest the party’s primaries.

In a press release in Makurdi on Sunday, the aspirants dismissed the selection exercise as “biased and lacking in credibility and transparency”.

The aspirants who protested the elders’ decision are David Ker, Hingah Biem, Tivlumun Nyitse, James Mbachiantim, David Iorhemba and Veronica Shimave.

Others are Eugene Aliegba, Andy Uwouku, David Nongo, Simon Anchaver and Janet Jila-Agbo.

The aspirants appealed to their supporters to ignore the selection and intensify their consultations to ensure victory at the primaries.

“We reject the exercise as totally unacceptable, invalid and not binding on us; we therefore appeal to our supporters to remain committed to their campaigns and continue their loyalty to the PDP.

“Our rejection of the exercise is on the grounds that the position and action of the Elders Forum failed in a very basic sense, to be premised on any foundation of credibility and transparency.

” The criteria adopted by them in selecting their preferred aspirants remains unknown to us, thereby keeping the whole exercise shrouded in mystery, and therefore, totally unacceptable to us”, they said.

The PDP elders from Makurdi, Guma, Gwer West and Gwer East Local Government Areas, under an umbrella association referred to as MINDA PDP Elders Forum, had on Friday, trimmed down the number of the party’s governorship aspirants, from 15, to four.

The four aspirants selected were former Trade and Industry Minister, Samuel Ortom; an engineer, Felix Atume; immediate past Attorney General of the state, Alex Adum and a former Speaker in the State Assembly, Terhemen Tarzoor.

(NAN)