The Peoples Democratic Party after the Interim National Working Committee (INWC), led by Tanimu Turaki, has announced screening and appeal panels for the party’s 2027 primaries, just days after another faction of the party completed its own screening exercise.
The Turaki led-leadership yesterday unveiled screening and appeal committees for aspirants seeking presidential, governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly tickets across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a document jointly signed by the Interim leadership’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, and National Organising Secretary, Theophilus Dakas Shan, the camp said the committees were constituted in line with the timetable approved during its 104th National Executive Committee meeting.
According to the document, about 3,181 aspirants are expected to undergo screening.
A breakdown of the figures showed that 2,122 aspirants are contesting for State Houses of Assembly seats, 748 for the House of Representatives, 198 for the Senate, while 112 aspirants are seeking governorship tickets. The leadership also listed one presidential aspirant scheduled for screening this week.
The move comes barely days after the AbdulRahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee (NWC), recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), concluded its own screening exercise for presidential and governorship aspirants.
Recall that last Thursday, a presidential screening committee chaired by former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, screened Senator Sandy Onor, the lone presidential aspirant who purchased nomination forms from the Mohammed-led NWC. Another screening panel headed by former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Maƙarfi, also screened no fewer than 25 governorship aspirants from different states.
Plateau State recorded the highest number of governorship aspirants, with five contestants, while Oyo and Abia states presented three aspirants each. Among those screened from Plateau were Danyaro Daku Saipia, Chief Kefas Wungkak, and Alex Ladan, who all pledged to tackle insecurity in the state if elected governor. The aspirants also criticised Governor Caleb Mutfwang for defecting from the PDP to the APC, insisting that Plateau remained a traditional PDP stronghold.
In Abia State, aspirants, including Chief John Okiyi Kalu, Dr. Kelechi Anosike and Barrister Kalu, dismissed the growing popularity of Governor Alex Otti. Chief Kalu accused Otti of running “a propaganda-driven administration”. In Oyo, Mogaji Olukayode and former deputy governor, Barr. Kazeem Bolarumi, were screened by the committee.
Other governorship aspirants screened by the Mohammed-led NWC include: Mustapha Sule Lamilo (Jigawa), Alhaji Hassan Oladimeji Alli (Kwara), Hon. David Ombugadu (Nasarawa), Chief Sampson Chukwuma Nnamani (Enugu), Adamu Usman (Bauchi), and Mohammed Bello (Kano).
