By next Monday, it would become clear who will be flying the presidential flags of the two major political parties in the country- the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The ruling APC and main opposition, the PDP will share a total number of three thousand, one hundred and fifty presidential delegates’ votes combined. The delegates will vote to elect their parties’ flag bearers in Abuja at the weekend.
A total of 3,150 elected ad-hoc delegates will be shared between approximately 39 aspirants from both parties – 2,340 for the APC, with at least 23 aspirants and 810 delegates’ votes for PDP’s 14 aspirants.
They are expected to vote to elect presidential candidates during the indirect primaries and national convention slated Saturday, Sunday and Monday May 28-30th respectively.
The coming weekend will be a decisive one for Nigeria and Nigerians, as they anxiously await the outcome of the elections, especially from the APC presidential primaries scheduled for Sunday and Monday, May 29-30.
The different aspirants from both parties have been at the top of their wits, moving from State to State, ensuring that all loose ends were neatly tidied up.
However, one may not be too far from the truth to say that three leading contenders have emerged from the PDP namely the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
Peter Obi, who was one of the party’s strong contenders for the ticket, dumped the main opposition party on Wednesday.
PDP sold 17 forms to its presidential aspirants and about 14 of them are still in the race after two were disqualified during the screening and Peter Obi’s resignation yesterday.
Popular among those still hoping to grab the party’s sole ticket are Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, former Managing Director of FSB International Bank, Dr. Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Publisher, Ovation International, Chief Dele Momodu, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, among others.
For the APC, despite making history by selling the costliest forms in Nigeria’s existence, the party recorded the highest number of buyers in its history.
The APC sold a total of 28 presidential nomination and expression of interest forms amounting to N2.8 billion, to 28 presidential aspirants. Although some of the aspirants dissociated themselves from the forms and denounced the buyers, the party said that only three of those forms were not submitted.
The APC Spokesperson, Felix Morka said that only the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele and the Minister of Petroleum for State, Timipreye Sylva, did not submit their forms.
“For some of them, it’s a bit iffy. What I have this time, we’ve 28 who purchased form and at the last count, we have 25 who made submission.
“But three of them did not. They are Senator Chris Ngige, Godwin Emefiele and then we have Timipre Sylva,” he said.
So, among the presidential aspirants on the APC platform are the national leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; former River State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; former Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio; former Minister of Education for State, Emeka Nwajiuba; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello; former National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Others are former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; former Ogun State governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosu, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Jigawa governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and former Zamfara State governor, Sen. Ahmed Yerima.
It is worthy of mention that extrapolations based on the actual number of delegates from the two leading political parties have become very difficult and this is due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sign the latest amendment to the Electoral Act.
And as these politicians are set to battle it out for their parties’ presidential ticket this weekend, many Nigerians have said that not again will God allow the sufferings of the past seven years, which, according to them, is as a result of bad leadership, to continue. To some of them, what Nigeria needs at this point is divine intervention.
On the streets of Abuja, the nation’s capital, DAILY POST sought the opinion of Nigerians ahead of the primary elections of the two major political parties.
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