Jonathan, Atiku appear before PDP screening panel

THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP will today Screen its Presidential aspirants to get the party’s flagbearer for the April Presidential election.

Those to appear before the Ambassador Aminu Wali led 10 –member Screening Committee are President Goodluck Jonathan, former vice-President Atiku Abubakar , Mrs Sarah Jibril and Alhaji Aminu Dutsima from Katsina state and thereafter present themselves before the delegates at the Eagle square, Thursday, January 13th, 2011.

Meanwhile, one of the presidential aspirants, former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar has raised an alarm that the Presidential Screening Panel list was not what the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) agreed on at its meeting.

Atiku’s campaign organization said that the list was imposed on the national chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo by President Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to influence the outcome of the primaries.

But when contacted to react, the Special assistant to the National Chairman, Ike Abonyi who denied the allegation stressed that the Atiku campaign was only trying to play politics with the list.

According to him, “Only the NWC of the party is vested with the responsibility to appoint such panels and it was done by the august body. If any NWC member is protesting the composition of the panel as they allege, let that member own up publicly and address the press on the matter”.

PDP had late on Saturday released a 10-member list of Presidential Screening Panel to be chaired by former ambassador Aminu Wali.

Other members of the panel are Chief Innocent Nwoga, Senator C. K. Awoyelu, Chief Franklin Adonkumoh, Alhaji Ibrahim Abba Gubio, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, Dr. Nuhu Zagbayi, Hajia Zainab Maina, and Mrs. Linda Douglas Nwibani, while Chief Sylvester Okonkwo will serve as the secretary.

The panel and that of the special national convention panel will be inaugurated today at the party headquarters by the national chairman, Dr. Nwodo.

-Vanguardwp_posts