The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) drew the line and stopped accepting nominations for elective seats on Tuesday, ahead of the party’s national convention on October 30 and 31.
As a result, several applicants were spotted rushing to meet the October 19, 2021 deadline for submitting their applications.
Hon Debo Ologunagba, a two-term member of the House of Representatives and a lawyer, was one of those who expressed interest and filed nomination papers for the position of PDP National Publicity Secretary.
Mrs Inna Ciroma, a former Minister and former National Woman Leader, also submitted her own forms to run for the office of Deputy National Chairman (North).
Hajia Ciroma will be pitted against two other women, one of which is a former Ambassador, Alhaji Umar Damagum.
Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe, a former professor at the University of Calabar in Cross River State, also applied for the role of National Woman Leader, presenting herself as a “politician with academic background.”
Ambassador Usman Sani Elkudan, who is also running for the position of PDP National Youth Leader, filed his declaration of interest and nomination forms to the party’s National Secretariat.
Addressing newsmen shortly after submitting her form, Prof Effah-Attoe said, “I have filled the forms adequately and I have submitted few minutes ago. I have very deep interest in women affairs. People have asked, Why are you going for National Woman Leader, why not any other position?
“I said well, in as much as National Woman Leader is zoned to my zone, I normally would have gone for it because of my passion for women. I am very passionate about women.
“Over the years I’ve been involved deeply in women issues. Like I said earlier, apart from being a female politician, I have done a lot of work in the academic field concerning women and gender issues.
“So I’m deeply rooted in gender women, issues, not only practically but theoretically, I have a lot of publications on women. I am much involved in women issues.”
Ologunagba on his part said: “Like I always say, the superpower is in PDP, where the hope resides. So, two things are going to be key in this communication mantra, it will be retrieved and restore.
“We want to restore the country back to the PDP days when it was easy for you to go to bed, at 10pm and take your car and drive down to Lokoja and come back.
“We want a situation where kids will go to school, and they won’t be kidnapped. We want to restore fundamental freedoms that are guaranteed for instance, the freedom to worship.”
Promising to work with other national officers to provide the best qualities of leadership for the party, if elected, Hajia Ciroma said, “as the Deputy National Chairman for the North, I will particularly work with our leaders to mobilize the support that is required to see that the states lost by PDP in 2015 are all reclaimed.
“If offered this position, I will maintain an open-door policy and I will keep my promise to serve within the best possible standards conscious of the need to be impartial, objective and an open facilitator.
“The 2023 election is a task that must be done, and we need a winning formula, knowing the difficulties Nigerians are now faced with.”
The aspirant for the National Youth Leader, Usman Elkudan, promised that PDP youth will be taught how to become tech savvy, to farm and trade, iaf given the mandate.
“Therefore, with the support and acceptance that this declaration of interest to contest has garnered, it is obvious that Usman Elkudan is friendly with the youths, and the youths are as well pleased with him”, his National Campaign Co-ordinator, Hon Aderemi Olusegun declared.
He said: “In terms of Capacity and Competence Amb. Elkudan is the right Choice. Therefore, on behalf of the PDP Youth Wing of our party, we present to you Amb Usman Sani El-kudan to contest for the office of The PDP National Youth Leader as our Consensus Candidate.”
