Picking Candidate By Consensus Illegal, Anti-Democracy – Bafarawa
A People’s Democratic Party (PDP), presidential aspirant, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has described the method of choosing a political party candidate in any election by consensus arrangement as illegal and anti-democracy and must be condemned.
Bafarawa who who made this assertion on Wednesday during a consultation with the Edo State chapter of the party in Benin-City, added that the people should be allowed to choose who represent and govern them at all level of political position, even as he warned against vote buying during the party’s convention.
He said that the main thrust of all the PDP’s presidential aspirants was to get the ruling All Progressives Congress-led federal government out of power in 2019.
The former Governor of Sokoto State added that the large number of the party’s presidential aspirants is a demonstration that the party is growing big and the only party in the country, adding that the aspirants have all agreed to support whoever get the presidential ticket.
“I believe we all have already agreed that whoever gets the ticket, we are going to work together with him. Forget the number of aspirants. The number of aspirants showed that the party is growing big and the only party in the country. Forget limited and liability party but ours is public limited company. So, you expect the shareholders to be many.
“The number of aspirants is not something to fear and worry about. We are together, we are united and our main common objective is to get APC out of power because it is a disaster.
“If we allow the party to remain in power in the next four years, I believe there will be no Nigeria. We want to unite our country, and therefore, we the aspirants have already unite ourselves for a common goal,” he said.
On the issue of consensus, the presidential candidate hopeful, opined that since all the aspirants have collected forms, there should be no moral justification for the party not to go for indirect primary.
According to him, we are not going to change our constitution. Consensus is for APC but ours is indirect primary. Since the party has sold forms to all the aspirants because we are all qualified, and there is nobody the party can say is not qualified. It is now left for the party’s delegates to decide. Once delegates decide there is nothing anybody can do.
He however, promised to initiate programmes to rerun the country to enviable position of African economic hub and global player in international relations and diplomacy, overhaul education, health,,economy, agriculture, infrastructure, Defence and security among others when emerged the president of the country.
Responding, the state chairman of the party, Dan Orbih commended the presidential aspirant on his good governance while serving as governor of Sokoto state.
He said the State’s delegates will join comity of State that will ensure that the best aspirant emerged the party’s presidential flag bearer.
