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The aspirants meet PDP national leadership, rule out consensus candidacy.
Twenty three people have signified interest to be candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State; and have purchased the Expression of Interest forms to contest the November 16 governorship election.
Josephine Anenih, the wife of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tony Anenih; the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Committee, INEC, Andy Uba; and the Coordinator of Foreign Affairs at the PDP national secretariat, Agape Kramer; are among the members that signified their interest by purchasing the forms for N1 million each.
Others are a former member of the House of Representatives, Nicholas Ukachukwu; a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, and PDP chairman in Anambra, Tony Nwoye; a former Senator, Emmanuel Anosike; and Chairman, Gocuz Group of Companies, Obinna Uzor.
The national leadership of PDP had, during a meeting with the party’s stakeholders in Anambra State last week, released the guidelines for the governorship primaries beginning with the sale of Expression of Interest Form between July 18 and 19.
The party also fixed, for August 1 to 5, the sale and return of nomination forms, while the primaries and possible run-off hold August 24. It will submit the name of the eventual candidate to INEC on August 30.
Although the cost of nomination form has not been officially disclosed, sources said it may go for N5 million.
At a meeting with the party leadership on Monday at its national secretariat in Abuja, all the aspirants reportedly resolved not to pick one of them as a consensus candidate, preferring to go through the party primaries.
They also agreed that whoever emerges as the candidate should be supported by others who must not dump PDP for other parties in protest.
It was further gathered that the meeting, which was presided over by the acting Deputy National Secretary, Emmanuel Agboti, and acting National Organising Secretary, Hamisu Abubakar, resolved to shelve the use of electronic registration of the members of the party for the election.
According to a source, due to the peculiarity of the Anambra State chapter of the party, which has three factions, the meeting resolved that the factions should submit their membership lists from which the through membership would be compiled for the August 24 primary election.
The ruling party insisted at the meeting that members on the list of each faction must not only have membership cards but must produce evidence of paying their dues regularly and at the right time. This is expected to check the inclusion of names of people who were never financial members.
A source at the meeting stated that it ruled out the issue of electronic registration for the Anambra election because going by the party guidelines for primaries, the exercise should have been concluded at least a month before the ward congresses which holds on August 17.
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