Onyekachi Eze, ABUJA 
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders from the 19 northern states and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have told Prof Ango Abdullahi that the party is not an ethnic party.
The stakeholders in a communiqué at the end of their meeting in Abuja debunked the statement credited to the professor that the region has shortlisted consensus presidential candidates for the PDP from the North.
The communiqué, which was jointly signed by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and former Police Affairs Minister, Adamu Maina Waziri, stated that PDP was conceived by its founding fathers as “the foremost national political platform wherein the democratic aspirations of its teeming members can be actualised.”
According to the communiqué, the party is “devoid of any sectional consideration. Our party is neither Northern nor southern but Nigeria!” It expressed joy that the Northern Elders’ Forum has through its Secretary, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, disassociated itself from Prof Ango’s media statement. “They made it clear that it is Ango’s personal opinion.
The aspirants have informed us that they are discussing among themselves. “They are consulting other senior citizens in order to create a better understanding and unity among themselves. “Their ultimate objective is to build a national consensus that will produce a national candidate for the party. We urge them to keep up with this commendable effort,” the communiqué stated.
The stakeholders added that the meeting was to reinforce the press release issued on April 23, by Lamido, “and maintained that all our aspirants are qualified to occupytheNigerianpresidency under the PDP banner.” It expressed the hope that the candidate who would win the presidency for the PDP would emerge at the party’s May 28 National Convention.
Abdullahi had, over the weekend, said Northern Elders shortlisted former president of the Senate Bukola Saraki and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, as northern consensus candidates. This was rejected by Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
