Today, October 6, 2018 will go down in the annals of Nigeria’s political life as an important one. It is a day the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is picking its presidential candidate for the 2019 general election.
There are different reasons for the importance of the day. It is the first time PDP is vying as an opposition party for the presidential seat.
Since the return of the nation to democracy in 1999, it had been the ruling party until 2015.
In 2015, apparently displeased with the continuation of President Goodluck Jonathan as the president, he was flushed out and PDP became the opposition party.
The party, which has since undergone some transformation and rebranding has as its target, the determination to return to power in 2019.
Catching in on the lapses or perceived shortcomings of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s APC administration, the hope that the PDP has a good chance in 2019 to win back the presidency received a boost.
That, perhaps, informed the overwhelming number of party chieftains jostling to be the candidate of the party in the general election. A dozen of them are lining up to get elected.
As it is, PDP, is at a crossroads regarding who to pick from the lot, offering to fly the flag of the party in the election.
Indeed, not any of them is a push over. All of them, political heavyweights in their own rights, display credentials that cannot be overlooked.
Locked in today’s battle for the presidential ticket are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; former Senate President, David Mark and former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang.
In the race too are former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; former Governor Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-government Affairs, Kabiru Turaki; Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Danwambo; former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
In the past few weeks since the space was declared open, the aspirants have embarked on spirited moves to ensure that members of the party would consider them for the exalted position.
One after the other, they have moved round the country, seeking the blessings of every elder-statesman, whose voice, would help them win the sympathy of, not only members of the PDP, but majority of Nigerians.
It was in that wise that the residences of former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, and that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, became places that must be visited.
Touring the different states of the federation, the aspirants tried to sell themselves to the members of the party so that at the event which holds today, they would enjoy the kind of support that would see them clinch the ticket and hopefully trounce the man they all want to remove from office in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Shenanigans also played out among the aspirants with some trying to lord it over others in some instances. Reason therefore that one told whoever cared to listen that he should be considered for the party’s ticket because, among other things, he remained in the party and not moved to other parties only to come back.
That is also why another would claim that but for his doggedness in rescuing it, the party they all rushed into and wanted to clinch its ticket would have since become a shadow of itself.
Some of the party’s chieftains, including governors have also aligned with some of the aspirants, campaigning for them to emerge the party’s candidate.
With the battle fought in the past few weeks, the day of decision is here at last and PDP is left to choose its flag bearer.
It is not unlikely that there would also be some re-aligning and last minutes moves. In that wise, some of the aspirants may resolve to step down for some others to prune down the number.
Very many have concluded that the fate of the PDP in the 2019 general election is most likely to be determined by who emerges as the candidate today.
Although many of the candidates have pledged that whoever emerges as the candidate would get their support, that may not be all that is to winning the 2019.
A lot, many have said, would depend on whether or not the people could still repose their trust in the PDP for a better Nigeria or in the Buhari-led government for another term.
With the picture of who would emerge the candidate of the PDP for the presidential election unclear, many Nigerians are waiting with interest to see who would slug it out with Buhari in 2019, and indeed, whether the PDP will stand a chance.
