Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, an aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in the 2023 elections, today said he decided to discontinue the process of installing consensus candidates for the party because those chosen could not reach a compromise amongst themselves.
It emerged at the weekend that the move by a committee headed by Professor Ango Abdullahi to pick Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and former Senate president Bukola Saraki as the party’s preferred consensus candidates from the north has failed.
Reacting to the development, the Mohammed Hayatu-Deen Campaign Organisation described the move as a charade “designed to achieve a preconceived outcome.”
In a press statement dated April 23 and made available to New Citizen, the Director-General of the campaign organisation, Alhaji Lamis Shehu Dikko, noted that Hayatu-Deen and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal decided to discontinue the process because Governor Mohammed and Saraki have failed to reach a compromise amongst themselves.
Dikko said, “After this announcement, we consulted with the Northern Elders’ Forum and agreed that the campaign of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen will now be undertaken independently to maintain the sanctity and integrity of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“For the record, we would like to state that the process of arriving at a consensus candidate had collapsed.
“The candidates involved could not reach a compromise amongst themselves, resulting in the decision of our principal, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal to discontinue the process.
“The announcement we witnessed yesterday was not based on the principles of equity and transparency, which we believe should lead the country and the party into the future.”
He described the Ango committee as “completely faceless” and its evaluation criteria “totally subjective.”
“It seems to us that this entire charade was designed to achieve a preconceived outcome,” Dikko said.
According to the director-general, Hayatu-Deen is now focused on proving to the PDP and Nigerians in general that he is the best man for the job, “as we proceed towards a truly democratic process at the PDP primaries.”
He warned that the lack of consensus amongst the Ango-led effort and the politicking of other candidates should not jeopardise the electoral success of the party or threaten the peace and prosperity of Nigeria.
Hayatu-Deen, the director-general argued, “is a business professional with years of experience, leading successful organisations that have provided jobs and opportunities for millions of Nigerians.
“He is a man who understands the pains and sufferings of the average Nigerian and has a plan to return our great nation to prosperity.
“Mohammed Hayatu-Deen wants to build a Nigeria that works for everybody.
“He is the best candidate for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
