By Samuel Ogidan
Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday conducted its national convention to ratify President Goodluck Jonathan’s endorsement as the party’s candidate for the 2015 general election.
The convention, held in Abuja, also ratified the election of some of the party’s national officers in accordance with the constitution of the party.
The national officers were the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu, National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, and National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju.
The 3,073 delegates in attendance came from the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.
However, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also a delegate for the two-day event, was conspicuously absent.
Meanwhile, motorists and workers had a very tough day as the city centre was shut down and security personnel, including the military, police and others were on ground to secure the venue of the convention.
Jonathan, who is one of the delegates to the convention, arrived the Eagle Square venue of the event at about 3.45 p.m.
Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, and the National Chairman were among the delegates attending the convention.
Chairman of the National Convention Committee, Dr. Bello Halliru Mohammed, in his welcome address, intimated the delegates on the purpose of the convention.
Mohammed, a former defence minister, enjoined the delegates to be orderly, disclosing that the nomination of the presidential candidate would begin immediately the ratification of the vacancies in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
The convention’s deputy chairman, Senator Ken Nnamani, told the delegates that Section 133 of the nation’s Constitution described the procedure of casting ballot even when there is one candidate standing for an election.
Nnamani, a former president of the Senate, noted that three vacancies will be filed in the NWC while only one aspirant is seeking for nomination as the party’s presidential candidate.
“Two people bought presidential nomination forms but they realised the need to give the President a chance, and also as not to divide the party, they willingly, voluntarily decided to support a single candidate,” he said.
The two aspirants were the son of the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Abdu-Jhalil Tafawa
Balewa, and the wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola, Prof. Akasoba Duke Abiola.
Nnamani told them that a space had been provided in the ballot papers to vote either yes or no for the candidates.
Voting by the delegates for the ratification of the appointment into the NWC started around 6:15 p.m. on state by state basis. This saw Jonathan casting his vote at the ballot box for his home state, Bayelsa.
Meanwhile, at the time of filing in this report, voting for the constitutional amendment and election of Jonathan in line with constitutional provisions had not commenced.