The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has started the search for its presidential candidate that it believes will defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.
The Nation reports that Senator Walid Jibrin who is the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees dropped the hint on Tuesday, January 9.
Jibrin spoke at Legacy House while addressing a PDP youth group that paid him a courtesy visit.
The party also called on Senate president, Bukola Saraki and former governor of Kano state, Rabiu Kwankwaso to return to the party.
Jibrin said the party was already weighing its opportunities and the candidate to present in 2019 specifically from the north.
He said: “We are all doing what we can in the North with all the leaders to identify who is the best candidate to rule this country. The best person that will take away power from the ruling party because 2019 is our own. 2019 is for PDP.
“We as a party, have agreed that the President of Nigeria in 2019 should come from the North. I enjoin you to support the North to bring and give you a very capable President; never-a-no-do-well President, a good qualitative President.”
He described the return of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar as a great omen to the party and that more persons that left the party for the All Progressives Congress are expected to return.
“We are also expecting a big return of some of our former governors, our National Assembly members and very renowned party followers. And when this is done, which will be done very quickly, then the party will now come to its stable stand.
“We should encourage everybody who has left us to come back and reunite with us. We will not hate anyone or deprive anybody. It is a good omen for this party that we should receive people.
“We are therefore calling on the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and all our former legislators who have left this party to come back quickly”.
Jibrin noted that the party’s BoT had been divided after the chairmanship elections some of the members had openly supported some presidential aspirants rather than displaying neutrality.
Meanwhile, A report by Daily Trust indicates that some aggrieved aspirants under the aegis of PDP Candidates and Stakeholders Forum, on Wednesday, December 13, rejected the results of last Saturday’s national convention of the party which produced Prince Uche Secondus as national chairman.
The forum also called on Jibrin to call an emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee.
Comrade Franklyne Edede, who contested for the office of PDP national youth leader and Chief Godwin Chinedu Duru, who contested for the office of national organising secretary, said the meeting was necessary to address contentious issues.