Why I dropped presidential ambition,I can sweep any street-Ribadu

Former presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has explained why he abandoned his presidential ambition to contest the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party for the Adamawa State governorship poll.

Ribadu, who spoke with journalists after he submitted his nomination form at the national headquarters of the PDP in Abuja on Monday, said that his desire to serve at any level propelled him to drop his initial ambition.

Ribadu, who was a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, said, “Everything in my life has been about public service. I’m prepared to serve in any capacity.

“If you ask me to come and be a sweeper of any street in any part of the country, I’m ready to do that. I don’t even have power of my own in any part.”

Asked whether he was worried that the PDP was yet to grant him and other defected aspirants waivers needed to contest the primary, he said no.

”I am not worried about the waiver. I have followed the rules. I am a law and order person. I have done my own bit and I will wait for the party to do their own. That part is not my responsibility,” he said.

Under the constitution of the party, new members and returnees are not qualified to seek elective positions until after two years, except they get a waiver.

Section 50 (9) of the PDP constitution says, “There shall be a minimum of two year membership span for a member to be eligible to stand for election into any public office, unless the appropriate executive committee gives a waiver or rules to the contrary.”

Meanwhile, other aspirants have insisted that the party must conduct proper primary to choose the party’s candidate for the October 11 election.

The aspirants spoke when they came to also submit their nomination forms to the party’s national leadership, which was received by the National Organisation Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha.

The aspirants included the former Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Modibbo; Acting Governor of the state, Ahmed Fintiri; former Presidential Adviser, Ahmed Gulak; and the former ACN governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Marcus Gundiri.

Others are former Lagos State Military Administrator, Buba Marwa; Dr. Umar Ardo, Senator Ahmed Girei, Gen. A.A.Kana (retd.), Awwal Tukur and Aliyu Idi-Hong.

Modibbo said, “People should be allowed to contest. We should not pay too much attention to consensus. Our tragedy in the state was that we did not do the proper thing when we chose the past leader.”

-punch