Lamido Declares For Second Term, PDP May Drop Turaki, Others From Contest

PHOTO: SENATOR IBRAHIM SAMINU TURAKI MAY HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OF THE PDP PRIMARIES IN JIGAWA STATE.

DUTSE, Sept 21, (THEWILL) – Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido today purchased and submitted his governorship election nomination form alongside 45 other politicians in the state.

THEWILL reliably gathered from a source at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Dutse that Lamido bought his nomination form in Abuja in line with the party’s directives which says every aspiring member must obtain the form and submit same before the end of today, September 21, 2010.

Lamido’s re election bid came just as three serving Senators including the former Governor of the state, Senator Ibrahim Saminu Turaki may have been dropped by the party for their disloyalty to the lamido's administration.

Senator Turaki, a source told our reporter may have been replaced by the incumbent National Vice Chairman North-West of the PDP, Alhaji Danladi Sankara, who was said to have purchased the nomination form for the Jigawa North West Senatorial ticket.

Those that may not return according to the source include the Senator representing Jigawa Federal Constituency, Senator Mustapha Makama Kiyawa who is billed to be replaced by a Federal Commissioner at Federal Character Commission, Alhaji Abdul muminu Zareko and Senator representing Jigawa North East, Senator Abdul Aziz Usman, who will be replaced by the Nigerian Ambassador in Turkey, Ambassador Abdulhamid Ahmad Mallam Madori.

It was also gathered that two other members of the House of Representatives including a suspended lawmaker Hon. Abba Anas Adamu and Alhaji Ibrahim Yusha’u Kanya representing Babura/Garki Federal Constituency may have been axed.

The source also said about seven other law makers at the state House of Assembly may have been dropped. They include a member from the Dutse Local Government, Alhaji Adamu Rungumau; Hussaini Shuwarin, representing Kiyawa Constituency; Alhaji Babandi Gumel from Gumel constituency amongst others.

But while speaking to THEWILL via telephone, the state secretary of the party, Alhaji Rabi'u Isah, said so far about 46 persons from the state have purchased nomination forms from the state party secretariat to contest various positions.

Alhaji Isah, however, explained that he could give an accurate account of who has picked up forms and submitted because some aspirants may have gotten their forms at the National secretariat in Abuja.

"No we didn’t deny any body to buy the form, nor did we drop any body. There are two sources of purchasing the nomination form; at state party secretariat or national secretariat of the party, so if someone did not get his form from us he has the choice to go to Abuja and get it", the Jigawa state PDP Secretary SAID.

For example, "someone from Kiyawa, Alhaji Tijjani Ibrahim Kiyawa came to us and purchased a form to contest the Dutse/Kiyawa Federal Constituency while at the same time, the incumbent Honourable Baba Chei-chei, also collected the form, so every one is free to come and get the form, without any discrimination," he added.

Also commenting on the development to newsmen today in Dutse, the Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson in the state, Alhaji Aminu Nuhu Jahun confirmed the Governor bought his form at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The PDP spokesperson said the party has held a crucial meeting at the Three Star Hotel in Dutse under the chairmanship of the state Governor Alhaji Sule Lamido in which it discussed the guidelines for the forth coming elections.

He said, the meeting mandated that 3 delegates would be nominated including females from each of the 288 political wards for the election of one national delegate member.

He said those that would conduct the voting of aspirants at the election primaries for the positions of the members of both state, National Assemblies and the Governorship include all the 3 ward Chairmen, Local Government PDP executives, elected councillors, Local Government Chairmen and their deputies, members of both state and National Assemblies.

According to the PDP spokesperson, the elections of assembly members and the gubernatorial primaries would be conducted simultaneously at each of the central towns of the senatorial zones of North-West, North-East and North-Central of the state.

He said the composition of the national delegates that would vote for the President include the local government party chairmen, council chairmen, state PDP chairman and his Secretary, women and youth leaders, the Governor, his deputy and National Vice Chairman North-West.

Alhaji Aminu Jahun further explained that after the Zonal elections, delegates would converge at Kaduna where votes would be collated and winner would be announced.