2019 election: Makarfi will contest for presidency – Aide

The Peoples Democratic Party has said its National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi will contest the 2019 Presidential election under the platform of the party.

Abdullahi Ibrahim Jalo, former National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the party made the disclosure while addressing newsmen in Gombe, on Thursday.

Jalo, who is also an adviser, Hausa Media Services, to Makarfi disclosed that the former Kaduna State Governor personally informed him of his decision to contest for the presidential ticket of the PDP in 2019.

According to Jalo, “Let me make it abundantly clear, Makarfi is contesting for the presidential ticket of the party. Makarfi is like any other Nigerian and he has all the qualities to contest. If my party wishes to make him its presidential candidate, so be it. We shall support him.

“Makarfi told me vividly that he’s contesting and that could not be linked to a fallacious and misleading assumption that he’s supporting (former acting national chairman of the party, Prince Uche) Secondus.”

The former deputy spokesperson of the party also alleged that some powerful forces within the party have planned to scuttle the PDP’s upcoming National convention in December.

Jalo noted that if the PDP fails to conduct a credible national convention in December, the party may collapse.

“If PDP fails to put it right by allowing governors to impose a candidate, not what the people want, not in the people’s interest, certainly PDP will scatter. The political class will move to form a new party,” he said.