Sule Lamido denies Saraki & Bala Muhammad as PDP Northern consensus candidates 

A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, on Saturday, said reports that some Northern leaders and presidential aspirants under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chose the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Muhammad and a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, as northern consensus candidates for the party’s presidential primary was not true.

Messrs Saraki and Muhammad, had been chosen as northern consensus candidates for the PDP. The recommendations were contained in a communique signed by former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Ango Abdullahi.

The northern leaders said the decision to elect Messrs Saraki and Mohammed was based on certain criteria adopted in the assessment of the four aspirants who submitted themselves for the exercise.

But Lamido in a statement said such a decision was never reached and it was the opinion of those who issued the communique.

“The attention of key stakeholders of the PDP in the Northern State is drawn to reports in the media that some Northern Elders have shortlisted two of our prominent and deserving aspirants as consensus PDP Presidential Candidates

“Having widely consulted Party Leaders across the 19 Northern States and FCT, it is hereby stated to our teeming Party members and the general public that what is reported in the Media is only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the North,” Lamido added.

“Discussions are ongoing with ALL the aspirants in our party with a view to having a National Consensus if possible or at least working towards having smooth acrimony free National Convention.

“The position of the Northern Elders is not only injurious to the North but equally injurious to the Northern Aspirants,” Lamido added.