A former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has faulted the endorsement of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, as consensus northern presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He stated this in a terse statement he personally signed and obtained by our correspondent in Bauchi State on Saturday.
According to him, the north has not picked any consensus candidate.
He explained that t7he endorsement was the personal opinion of those elders who issued the statement and not that of the generality of the entire north.
Lamido said that consultation was still ongoing with all northern presidential aspirants in the PDP in order to come out with a national consensus acceptable to all and an acrimony-free national convention.
He said, “The attention of key stakeholders of the PDP in the Northern States 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!
“Discussions are ongoing with ALL the aspirants in our Party with a view to having a National Consensus if possible or a least working towards having a 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!”