PDP National Chairman: Ex-Senate president, Iyorchia Ayu, emerges northern consensus candidate

The governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, disclosed this while speaking with journalists after the stakeholders’ meeting held on Thursday at Bauchi Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was convened to produce a consensus candidate to be ratified at the party’s national convention scheduled for 30 and 31 October.

Mr Fintiri, who is also the chairman , PDP National Convention Organising Committee, said Mr Ayu emerged from the three aspirants presented by the three geopolitical zones.

The other two contestants, a former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, and a former senator from Bauchi State, Abdul Ningi, withdrew from the race.

“In the spirit of ensuring that PDP emerges and benefits from our efforts, so that we can win together for Nigerians in the 2023 general elections, Ayu has emerged as a consensus candidate of the north.

“With this, we are fully prepared, we are ready. We will be talking with our colleagues from other parts of the country, especially the south, they see reasons for this consensus candidate and give us support during the 30 and 31 October convention of the PDP.

“All of them were immensely qualified but through discussion and reconciliation we have emerged with a consensus list that was endorsed by the candidates themselves.

“There was no election and there was no selection,” Mr Fintiri said.

He said there was “no victor, no vanquished”, adding “we all came out united.”

In his acceptance remarks, Mr Ayu commended the party leaders for the responsibility entrusted to him, saying “I believe at the end of the day I would not just be the northern candidate but the collective will of Nigerians.”

Mr Ayu pledged that the PDP would be back with its winning strategies.