The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with Nyesom Wike on Thursday screened Sandy Onor, its sole presidential aspirant, alongside 25 governorship aspirants drawn from 17 states.
The screening exercise took place at the PDP Legacy House in Abuja.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, the faction said it was moving ahead with its internal electoral activities following the Supreme Court judgment that resolved the party’s leadership dispute in favour of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee.
According to the statement, the presidential screening committee is chaired by former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, while ex-Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi heads the governorship screening committee.
“The PDP will screen only one presidential candidate and 25 governorship aspirants from 17 states,” Nnorom stated.
“Others are still perfecting their documentation for another screening opportunity.”
Speaking after the screening, Sandy Onor endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, describing it as a courageous move that released more funds for national development.
“Nigerians universally agreed that subsidy was a problem and a bastion of corruption,” he said.
“This president came on his very first day in office, removed the subsidy and released a lot of funds for development.”
Despite supporting the policy, Onor stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the funds saved from subsidy removal.
In Plateau State, governorship aspirant Kefiano Ropshik confirmed that he had been screened and cleared to participate in the PDP governorship primary election.
“Earlier today, I was at PDP Secretariat, Wadata Plaza for my screening exercise, another significant stride in this noble journey to serve the good people of Plateau State as their Governor,” he said.
“The vision is clear, the resolve is unwavering, and the mission continues.”
Also speaking, Nasarawa governorship aspirant David Ombugadu claimed he won both the 2019 and 2023 governorship elections in the state, citing results uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (iREV).
He urged the media and civil society organisations to intensify efforts toward protecting votes during elections.
Other governorship aspirants screened by the party include Kelechi Anosike (Abia), Kayode Ogunshola (Oyo), Hazeem Gbolarumi (Oyo), Samson Nnamani (Enugu), and Mustapha Lamido (Jigawa).
Others are Onuogbu Ogba (Abia), David Emmanuel (Nasarawa), Oladimeji Hassan (Kwara), Alex Ladan (Plateau), Adamu Ahmed (Bauchi), Suleiman Kawu (Kwara), and Mohammed Bello (Kano).
The party disclosed that its governorship primaries are scheduled for May 24, while the presidential primary election will take place on May 26.