Northern consensus candidate: Atiku gets the nodTuesday, 23 November 2010 00:00 Suleiman M. Bisalla
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Several weeks of drama and suspense around the search for a Northern consensus presidential aspirant within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] ended yesterday with the choice of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by the “Committee of Wise Men” led by former Finance Minister Malam Adamu Ciroma.
Following his selection, General Ibrahim Babangida, Governor Bukola Saraki and General Aliyu Mohamed Gusau all congratulated him, signalling their withdrawal from the PDP primary race.
The Adamu Ciroma-led committee was mandated by the four Northern PDP presidential aspirants to help them decide on a consensus candidate in order to approach the PDP primary election with a common front in defense of the party’s zoning arrangement, under which the North is supposed to produce the president until 2015. Babangida, Atiku, Saraki and Gusau had previously pledged to support whoever was chosen under the consensus arrangement.
Secretary of the consensus committee Malam Bello Sabo Abdulkadir who addressed a world press conference to announce the result in Abuja yesterday, said the committee had spent the previous 48 hours deliberating on the information collated from several weeks of consultations across the country. He refused to give the criteria used in arriving at the decision but said members had voted at the end of the exercise. He also refused to reveal the pattern of voting.
Flanked by Alhaji Bashir Yusuf and Senator Abubakar Mahdi, Secretary and member of the Northern Political Leaders Forum respectively, Secretary of the consensus committee Abdulkadir said the three other aspirants had reassured the committee that they will work together to enable Atiku Abubakar clinch PDP’s ticket for the 2011 presidential election.
A four paragraph statement signed by chairman of the committee Alhaji Adamu Ciroma and its Secretary Alhaji Abdulkadir read in part: “We are pleased to announce that we have concluded our assignment of arriving at a consensus candidate today [Monday] 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 extraordinary 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, organization 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.”
They said the consensus arrangement was worked out following the insistence of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the presidential election in violation of the zoning arrangement of the PDP.
DAILY TRUST