By The Northern caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has adopted a former Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu as its consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman, ahead of the party’s forthcoming national convention.
The Caucus comprises of party leaders from North Central, Northeast and Northwest geopolitical zones.
Ayu emerged after a three-day-long series of meetings by stakeholders, beating his closest contenders; a former Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema and Senator Abdul Ningi who withdrew from the race.
Speaking with journalists after the stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday, the governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri explained that the former Senate President emerged from the three aspirants presented by the three geopolitical zones.
He said, “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.”
Meanwhile, the chairman-in-waiting is a close associate of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is said to be interested in running for President under the PDP in the next general elections.
Though the party had resolved to zone the 2023 presidential candidate to the South, Ayu’s emergence may change the PDP’s political permutations.
