Alhaji Abduljelil Tafawa-Balewa, son of the 1st Republic Prime Minister and and Mrs. Akasoba Zainab Duke-Abiola, wife of the acclaimed winner of the 1999 Presidential election, Alhaji Moshood Abiola, registered strident their protests on Tuesday over the decision of the national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to deny them nomination forms for the presidential election.
Interestingly, the national leadership of the party, denied knowledge of their claims, insisting that they would find out the true position.
PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) had endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate of the party, thereby closing the chapter for any other member of the party seeking to vie for the post in the party.
Apart from the duo, no other member of the PDP have attempted picking the form.
On Tuesday,the two aspirants claimed they were denied the opportunity by the party even after they had paid the prescribed fees by purchasing the bank drafts.
They at the PDP National Secretariat to obtain the nomination forms and informed journalists that they were told the forms were not ready.
While Dr. Belewa, son of the First Republic Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Belewa said he was told to come back on Thursday for the forms, Mrs. Duke-Abiola, wife of the late MKO Abiola, said he was told by the PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Mu’azu that the party printed only one presidential nomination form.
Displaying a Zenith Bank teller of the sum of N22 million dated October 28, 2014 in favour of PDP account number: 1012436478, Dr. Belawa insisted that he met the PDP national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo and the national organising secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, who both told him to come back on Thursday for the forms.
Said he: “I have paid for my forms, I was however told that they don’t have the forms ready. No matter, I am still here, I will send some of my people here on Thursday to come and pick the forms.
“People came from Bauchi and from different parts of the nation to support me. We have signatures of over 40 million Nigerians that want a change. I am in the PDP, I have always been in the PDP, I have no intention of leaving the PDP but I have every intention of making my country a better country, a country that we will all be proud of”.
He equally wondered why the party, which could produced so many gubernatorial forms could not make available presidential forms for few people vying to fly the party’s flag for the February 14, 2015 presidential election.
Dr. Belewa admitted that he was aware that different organs of the party have adopted President Goodluck Jonathan as sole presidential candidate of PDP but added: “these organs are little parts of the body. I am appealing to the body polity and I am going to run.
“Those organs do not always represent the masses that follow my part and I am addressing myself, the party and its entirety, I am sure I will do well”.
On her part, Duke-Abiola who said she paid, N2 million to the Diamond Bank to obtain the teller for the Expression of Interest (EOI) form as female aspirants do not pay nomination fees in PDP, said she had demanded to be issued with the only presidential form since she had already come for it, “but, alas, the party leadership was not forthcoming”.
Reacting to the claims, PDP national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh denied knowledge of their claims but promised to confer with the allegations with the national organising secretary to find what happened.