PDP Delegates’ Composition Shows Wike May Emerge Presidential Candidate

As the presidential primary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, fixed for May 28 approaches, the countdown has begun for the contenders.

Unless President Muhammadu Buhari signs the re-amended Electoral Act (2022) into law, the number of delegates to vote during the presidential primary of the PDP is expected to be 3,700.

Although the party is yet to formally reveal the list of delegates, deductions made by THE WHISTLER from the party’s constitution and confirmed by party officials showed that the odds may favour the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.

There are 15 presidential aspirants going into the party primary but those in the frontline are the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Rivers State governor. .

According to Section 33 of the PDP Constitution, those recognized as delegates are the National Chairman and other members of the National Executive Committee, serving and former governors, serving and former members of the Board of Trustees, former members of the National Working Committee, members of the National Assembly and former principal officers.

They include serving members of the Zonal Executive Committee and State Working Committee, serving members of the House of Assembly and former presiding officers, elected Local Government Area (LGA)Council chairmen, all LGA party chairmen, governorship candidates and deputies, National Assembly candidates, National delegates to the National Convention (one per LGA), and one physically challenged person per state.

The list could increase based on the re-amended Electoral Act (2022), if signed into law, to include elected councilors based on Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act.

But with the current delegates’ list put at 3,700, the PDP presidential candidate could be the candidate that got just 900 votes.

This is where Wike appears to get the edge.

A careful consideration of the number of delegates showed that Wike is likely to have more than his closest challengers– Abubakar and Saraki.

Rivers State with 138 delegates is expected to go the way of the governor.

Delta, (155), Bayelsa (79), Cross River (79), Benue (139), Oyo (181), Enugu (143), Abia (116), and Plateau (84) are expected to fall in the box of Wike.

If Wike clears the votes of the nine states, he would have garnered 1,114 votes. The governors of these states except Plateau are leading campaigners for Wike and are expected to accommodate the delegates before voting commences.

But the Plateau PDP are said to be solidly behind Wike’s campaign.

It’s unclear why the delegates of the states mentioned would be routing for Wike, but it is believed that the governor has a huge financial war chest and is deploying that “asset.”

Votes from states like Edo (90), Kaduna (105), Lagos (88), Ogun (84), Ondo (69), and Osun (104) are expected to be shared among aspirants, including Wike.

It was gathered that former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, who has been his political associate will step down for him and joined the race to harvest delegates votes for Wike, including those of Ekiti State(72).

” But it’s going to be a shared vote, free for all to harvest,” Benson David Agada, a lawyer and political strategist with knowledge of delegates’ election told THE WHISTLER on Monday via the telephone.

Lere Olayinka, the spokesman to Fayose did not respond to calls and a text message to his telephone.

THE WHISTLER also learnt from the camp of Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal, that there ongoing negotiations for him to reunite with Wike, a development that may further boost the Rivers governor’s chances.

Tambuwal is being rumoured as Wike’s running mate, and if an agreement is reached that leads to Tambuwal’s withdrawal from the race, Sokoto’s 129 votes may go to Wike.

Also, a substantial number of Kogi State’s 92 votes is likely to go to Wike because that is the home state of Tunde Ogbeha, chairman of Tambuwal Campaign Organisation.

The Director of Organisation and Mobilisation of the Tambuwal Campaign Organisation, TCO, Nicholas Msheliza, failed to return a call as he promised.

For Saraki, it’s expected that he will take Kwara’s (76) votes and gets some votes from FCT and a few other states due, also, to his deep pockets.

Atiku’s chances are slightly brighter as he’s expected to take Adamawa (119) and shares votes from Anambra (91) where his former running mate, Peter Obi comes from.

Obi is an aspirant but there are reports of underground negotiations to make him return as Atiku’s running mate again.

If that happens, it’s expected that both will put up a good show in the South West, South East, North East, North West and pockets some votes from the North Central.

An aide to the former Vice President, who did not want his name mentioned, said delegate voting is “not that easy because no one will watch them vote as it’s an indirect system.

“Things change as aspirants canvass for votes from these delegates from time to time. But we expect a good show and we are confident of emerging,” he said via telephone.

Efforts to get the reaction of the spokesman of Saraki, Yusuf Olaniyonu, failed as message sent to his telephone line failed to deliver even as calls put through his line were unsuccessful.

States where all aspirants will collect some votes are FCT (36), Borno (100), Gombe (60), Imo (105), Jigawa (87), Kano (150), Katsina (114), Kebbi (78), Nasarawa (58), Niger (96), Taraba (98), Yobe (71) and Zamfara (34).

The aspirants of the PDP cleared to contest the primary are 15.

They include Abubakar, Saraki, Obi, Fayose and the only female aspirant, Teriela Oliver.

Others are Tambuwal, Wike, Mohammed, Emmanuel and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

Also in the race are Anyim Pius Anyim, former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohuabunwa, the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, Charles Ugwu and Chikwendu Kalu.

Agada said some aspirants would drop out from the race few days or hours to the primary.

He said, “Politics is all about negotiation. Even those who had brighter chances early on will take stock of their expenses and their likely votes against their chances and negotiate, then turn over their votes to the highest bidder.

“So, expect the unexpected but it’s clear that with the votes expected from the delegates coming out, there are few favourites but only one can win it.

“So far, the PDP campaign has been robust and crisis-free, no scandal as such. But I expect them to engage the public more, state their positions on key national issues instead of always attacking the current government.

“We know they have failed, so what would you do differently? With that, we can interrogate their manifestoes and see how it goes even though for now, the delegates are the kings, they are the country, their decision will make or mar what’s left of the country.”