Adamu Ciroma Panel picks Atiku Abubakar as the Northern Consensus Candidate

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THE battle for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hit a crucial stage Monday, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar emerging the North's consensus candidate.



After a two-month search, the Consensus Committee of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) picked the former Vice-President as its candidate to slug it out with President Goodluck Jonathan.

The announcement was made by a three-man team, led by the Secretary of the Consensus Committee, Mallam Abdulkadir Sabo Bello, at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja.

With Bello were NPLF Secretary Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim and a member, Senator Abubakar Mahdi.

The team read a statement signed by the Chairman of the Consensus Committee, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, at the news conference.

The statement reads: "We are pleased to announce that we have concluded our assignment of arriving at a consensus candidate today and one out of the four aspirants who submitted themselves to the process has emerged. He is Atiku Abubakar.

"We are glad and proud that we have finally arrived at this outcome after several weeks of hard work and wide consultations.

"We are proud because of the unusual honour and extra-ordinary privilege given us by the four gentlemen who placed their political destinies in our hands. We are humbled by the strength of their faith. We appreciate their humility and cooperation.

"We have been reassured by all of them that they will work together to enable Atiku Abubakar clinch their party's ticket in the presidential primaries.

"We thank all Nigerians, supporters and critics alike for their views over these past several weeks. While we note these views and respect each one of them, we insist that no individual, organisation or society dreaming of success and greatness can achieve these dreams without respect for others and honouring agreements voluntarily entered into.

"This is especially so where these agreements have been transformed into a binding document, a constitution, which governs the conduct of those who subscribe to it.

"We call on all Nigerians to reflect on this. We also call on all delegates to the forthcoming party conventions to take these into account while casting votes. God bless the Federal Government of Nigeria."

At the interactive session with reporters, Bello added: "As you are all aware that for some months now, the NPLF has embarked on sensitisation and the demand for the implementation of the zoning arrangement in the PDP. And in view of this fact, we embarked on mobilisation for the retention of the zoning formula or arrangement within the PDP.

"You are all aware that four aspirants emerged to contest with the President for the primaries in the PDP. In view of the fact that these four aspirants emerged from the Northern part and with the zoning formula, we insist that the next President of this country should be a Northerner for the next four years to complete the eight-year term which is meant for the North under the zoning arrangement.

"We then embarked on an exercise to bring out a consensus candidate among the four aspirants, in view of the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan has declared his intention to contest in the PDP primaries.

"We embarked on consultations across the North with our brothers from the other parts of the country. And I am glad and happy to announce to you that that exercise has come to an end today. And under all due considerations, we were able to come up with a consensus candidate among the four aspirants. The person chosen by these wise men is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar."

At the end of the briefing, the team opted to respond to only three issues from anxious reporters.

Asked to expatiate on the criteria used by the committee, the Secretary of the NPLF, Mallam Bashir Ibrahim Yusuf, said: "Let me go back to how this search started. There were four gentlemen who were desirous of contesting for the office of the President of Nigeria under the banner of the PDP. These four aspirants wanted to reduce that number to one.

"The problem is that this is something they should do themselves. They, therefore, asked the committee to please do it for them. And this committee has done its work according to the criteria that it knows and it has reduced these four aspirants to one. That is its mandate and it has achieved its mandate."

Yusuf refused to disclose the criteria, despite persistent demands.

When prodded to explain why the four aspirants and Ciroma were absent at the presentation of the committee's report as earlier planned, Yusuf said: "In the first instance, your information is not correct, I don't know who gave you that information.

"I can also tell you that the committee has been working for the last 48 hours non-stop. And, therefore, after the assignment, the committee decided to just retire. Also, some of these people are not from Abuja and they have already left."

Responding to a question on the reaction of the other aspirants to the choice of Atiku, Yusuf added: "Everything is contained in the statement we have issued. If you read the statement, you will see the position of the aspirants."

Ciroma Panel picks Atiku