Jonathan is PDP sole aspirant as Tafawa-Balewa withdraws after screening

President Jonathan is the PDP sole candidate now as Tafawa-Belewa withdraws after screening..its undemocratic its just a clear sign deficiency in our democracy, which instead of been competitive is now more like selection...THE coast is now clear for the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole aspirant in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the primaries of the party slated for next month as his only challenger, Dr. Abdul-Jihalil Tafawa-Balewa, son of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister has voluntarily withdrawn from the contest.

The Secretary of the party’s ten-man Presidential Screening Committee headed by Dr. Ahmadu Alli, Barrister Olusola Oke, which screened the duo on Wednesday, disclosed Thursday that even though the latter attended the “rigorous screening process”, he voluntarily opted out of the race before the final decision was taken on his aspiration.

Oke who spoke to The Guardian from Abuja in a telephone interview, said contrary to the view in some quarters, the presidential contest within the party was not foreclosed in favour of the incumbent president and that the leadership of the party has invited anybody that has interest to seek nomination.

He said three persons including a woman, the incumbent and Tafawa-Balewa publicly signified their intention to seek the party’s ticket but that “only the duo of the president and Tafawa-Balewa collected and returned the relevant forms.

“The two appeared before us and we had our own criteria for screening candidates which covered among others evidence of valid membership of the PDP, evidence of financial standing of the aspirant in the party, evidence of attainment of required age and evidence of possession of minimum qualification. Others are evidence of being a registered voter and evidence of paying tax as at when due for three years preceding the year of election.”  

According to him, “the president went through all these procedures and we cleared him when we found him worthy. Tafawa-Balewa also appeared and was taken through all the above procedure but before the committee could recess to deliver its verdict, he drew our attention to a letter dated November 26 where he conveyed to the National Chairman, his withdrawal from the contest.”

Oke, a former National Legal Adviser of the party and Ondo State governorship candidate in the 2012 election said Tafawa-Balewa told the committee that “he took the decision to foster unity and cohesion within the party. Prior to that point of withdrawal, he impressed us as an erudite and clear-headed Nigerian with great commitment to the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

“At that point we had no choice but to acknowledge his withdrawal, appreciate him and discharge him accordingly. As at today, the only cleared aspirant of the PDP to stand the presidential primaries of the party is Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.”