Candidates jostling for the position of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party met in Abuja on Monday night.
However, the candidates failed to reach agreement on consensus candidate.
The National Executive Committee of the party at its meeting recently fixed December 9 for the party’s national convention where its national officers are to be elected.
At the meeting, which was held at the residence of one of the aspirants, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, the aspirants failed to agree on the fielding of one of them for the position.
Tuesday’s night meeting was the second the aspirants would hold to discuss the possibility of having a consensus candidate.
Apart from Dokpesi, other aspirants who attended the meeting included a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; a former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja; and a former governorship aspirant of the PDP in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje.
Other aspirants in the race, but who were not at the meeting were a former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George; and a former Acting National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus.
Daniel, who spoke to journalists at the end of the meeting, however, expressed the hope that the aspirants could still choose a consensus candidate among them.
“Nothing is impossible especially when you have people of like minds. Even in the podium on the December 9, some people may, for a reason, say that they want to step down. It has happened before,” he said.
Daniel blamed the media for the “hype” as he described the contest as a family affair.
Dokpesi also noted that there was no enmity among the aspirants, adding, ”All of us are working together, we are brothers and we have been together for a long time for something close to 30, 35 years. All we want to do is to serve the party and do our very best.”
Dokpesi, who was present at the inauguration of Bode George’s campaign office last week, promised to attend that of Daniel as well.
A source at the Adeniran campaign office also said that Dokpesi was in the office on Monday, which Dokpesi himself confirmed.
Meanwhile, the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives is looking into the possibility of zeroing on a consensus candidate for the party’s national chairman..
The Secretary of the caucus, Mr. Tajudeen Yusuf, hinted in Abuja on Wednesday that many members had mulled the idea, saying that it was “not bad at all” but had yet to take a final stance.
Yusuf did not say which of the many aspirants seeking the seat was considered fit for the consensus choice.
The caucus has lately held rounds of meetings, taking the aspirants in batches to address them on their plans for the main opposition party.