PDP candidate to emerge October 10

President Jonahan & Dr Nwodo at the Party's last NEC meeting.

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will emerge on October 10, according to a tentative time table for the party's primaries ...

due for the approval of the National Executive Committee (NEC).

According to the timetable prepared by the National Working Committee (NWC), the PDP will adopt an indirect primary system to pick its presidential candidate. All the aspirants are billed to be screened on September 23.

President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida have become the front runners for the PDP ticket. Ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is expected to strongly challenge them for the ticket, if he overcomes his readmission problems. Besides, other contestants are likely to emerge as soon as the timetable is released.

The NWC has also proposed that the presidential primaries should start on October 3. But the candidate would be confirmed on October 10 at a Ratification National Convention.

The NWC met yesterday in Abuja to fine-tune the guidelines amid anxiety by its members for the release of the time-table for primaries. The presidential primaries will be conducted ahead of the gubernatorial to "whip" the PDP governors into line behind the President."

A reliable source who spoke in confidence, said: "For the first time, the order of our primaries has changed to keep the party united and strong for the 2011 poll.
"The party’s leadership has proposed the order of primaries as follows: National Assembly, presidential, gubernatorial, and state Assembly.