Two presidential aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are ready to lock horns with the ruling party for saying they would not get the forms after payments.It was gathered that the national leadership of the party refused to sell its presidential nomination and expression of interest forms to the aspirants after paying for the forms.Two of the aspirants, Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa and Prof. Akasoba Duke-Abiola, were at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Tuesday to purchase the forms, but they were turned back.Punch reports that first to arrive was Tafawa-Balewa, who hails from Bauchi State. He is also the son of Nigeria’s First Republic Prime Minister, the late Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa.It will be recalled that all the levels of the party, including the National Executive Council had endorsed President Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate.
Tafawa-Balewa had on September 21 frowned at the action, saying nothing would stop him from running for the presidential race.He had asked, “What type of democracy do we have? Is the PDP a communist party? Where is the place of internal democracy?”Rather than being issued his forms, the aspirant claimed that he was told by officials of the party that the forms were not ready.Tafawa-Balewa said he was told that all other forms were on sale except the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms.He said, “I have paid for my forms. I was, however, told that they don’t have the forms ready. I am still here. I will send some of my people here on Thursday to come and pick the forms.”He said he went to the office of the Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, and the National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, but was denied the forms.Also speaking on the refusal of the party to present her with her forms, Duke-Abiola, who is one of the widows of the late Chief MKO Abiola, described the action of the party as questionable.Abiola, who displayed the Diamond Bank Teller with which she paid her N2m to the party’s bank account, wondered why the party would issue her receipts and refused to sell the forms to her.Female aspirants, like her, are expected to pay just N2m for the expression of interest form while the nomination form is free for them.The presidential aspirant said she was told by the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu that the party printed only one form.She said, “I have the receipt from the party after paying my money. But they said they printed only one presidential nomination form, even though the guidelines do not say that.“The National Organizing Secretary and the National Chairman said the party printed only one form. I asked that they should give me the one they printed to me since I was there. They laughed and said whether I didn’t know who they printed it for. This is a fraud.”She said that she would not ask for a refund of her money, but that the party must sell the forms to her.In his reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, said he was not aware that the aspirants came.“I will have to find out from the national Organising secretary, because I’m not directly involved in the selling of that forms. I’m only involved in the management of the image of the party”, he said.Source: Punch
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