Group loyal to the Rivers State Governor and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Nyesom Wike on Friday submitted his presidential form at the party’s Secretariat, Abuja.
The form was received on behalf of the party by the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.
Wike is one of the 17 PDP Presidential aspirants who picked form to contest for the party’s ticket ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
The party had set Sunday the 17th of April as the final date for the return of the nomination forms by all the aspirations.
BusinessDay observed that many of the aspirants on Friday rushed to submit their forms at the party’s Wadata Plaza headquarters, at Wuse 11, Abuja, in a bid to beat the Sunday deadline for the return of their nomination forms.
BusinessDay checks show that the party has also fixed May 28 and 29 for the primaries where all the aspirants are expected to battle for the party’s presidential ticket.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, had issued a statement saying that submission of all Forms has been extended to April 17, 2022.
The party also adjusted the dates for screening of aspirants, with those of the State House of Assembly, fixed for April 19, 2022, while those of the National Assembly was shifted to the April 20, 2022.
Similarly, the party has also shifted those of the aspirants for the governorship to April 21, 2022, while screening of Presidential aspirants will take place on April 25, 2022.
Read also: 2023: What we are doing to defeat APC, PDP- Daramola
The party also shifted dates for the screening appeal scheduled, as those of the State House of Assembly, will take place on April 21, 2022.
National Assembly screening appeal is scheduled for April 22, while Governorship and Presidential screening appeals will take place on April 26, and April 27, 2022, respectively.
“Please note that all duly completed State Assembly Forms are to be submitted at the various States Secretariat of the Party.
“All aspirants, critical stakeholders and party members are to be guided accordingly.”
Abia Governorship Aspirant, Emma Nwaka who also submitted his forms Friday, promised to transform the state if given the party’s ticket.
Emma Nwaka stated that he will work to ease tension in Abia “I’m the only person they can use to ease that tension. I enjoy acceptability across the entire district of Abia State. And I know what the problems are, like in the area of infrastructure. We know that we don’t have good roads.”
Nwaka who was a Third Republic Senator, described Abia people as “very enterprising”, adding that “ I believe we have indigenous hands, who can transform Abia state. All they need is somebody is somebody who would create an enabling environment for them to unleash their talents.”
He urged the PDP not to truncate the Charter of equity if it hope to retain Abia
“If the PDP wants to retain Abia State, we don’t have to truncate the charter of equity. We must bear in mind that PDP is not the only party in Abia State. If we make the mistake of doing the wrong zoning, it will create a major problem. Already there’s tension in the States because the Party announced that the position of Governor has been zoned to Abia north or Abia central.
“Our founding fathers when they agitated and got Abia State created, knew that we had four districts, such as the Old Afikpo like I mentioned earlier, which is now part of Ebonyi state. There’s Bendel where Senator Orji Uzor Kalu came from and became governor.*
There is central where Theodore Orji became governor, and then our current governor, it may interest you to know that I was his campaign manager in 2015.
“I was chairman of party and campaign manager that tells you how they hold me high esteem within the party and then the only district yet to produce a governor under the current dispensation is Isukwuato district. So, what all the elders across Abia State even those who are not politicians are saying, is that the relative peace we enjoy in Abia state stems from the fact that we’ve been following sequentially this charter of equity, anything done to truncate it now will spell doom for PDP in Abia State. I say it because I know that’s the situation because people are watching.”
