By HENRY UMORU
ABUJA— PRESIDENTIAL aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  were yesterday, cleared after being screened by the Ambassador Aminu Wali led Presidential Screening Committee.

Those screened were President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mrs Sarah Jibril, just as the fourth aspirant, Sani Aminu Dutsinma withdrew from the contest.

From right: President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo at the PDP Presidential screening exercise yesterday.

President Jonathan who arrived the Wadata Plaza, National Secretariat of the Party at 12.45 p.m with his vice, Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo, came out of the National Working Committee, NWC, venue of the programme at 1.33 p.m and described the screening exercise as rigorous.

Answering questions from newsmen, President Jonathan said: “The exercise was rigorous,” even as he scored the party high in the just concluded primaries where the flagbearers for various elective positions were elected.

He said: “Whenever you have general elections in a party as big as PDP, across the states, be it House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and of course presidential, there will be disagreement, but on the average, the primaries went down well.”

Panel, a good one —Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who arrived the Secretariat at 1.55pm with his Black Lexus with number plate Lagos EF 833 FST, told newsmen when he came out of the Conference hall at 3.47 p.m that the panel was a good one.

He, however, warned that the Panel cannot disqualify him from actualizing his political ambition against the backdrop that the Wali led Committee does not have the powers to do so, adding, “no, they cannot disqualify me because they don’t have the power to do that. But they are not a court, they are not a tribunal, not a panel of inquiry and they are not competent to do that.”

On what the panel asked him, Atiku said:  “I was asked about my return to the party, I was asked about the critical comments I made about the party before and what I will say now, so on and so forth.”

Also screened was Mrs Sarah Jubril who described the exercise as effective and thorough, just as she said that she was asked why she wanted to vie for the position of President. She added that her papers which she brought before the panel were correct, stressing that it was time for a woman to be given the opportunity to govern the country and fix things right.

From right, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Central Bank Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo and Mrs. Sarah Jubril . Photos: Abayomi Adeshida

The fourth aspirant, Sani Aminu Dutsinma, in his letter to the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo withdrew from the race, adding that against his withdrawal was against the backdrop that he had a legal case restraining the PDP from all preparations for the conduct of any primary election for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Dutsinma said the leadership of the party had been adamant on the call for the zoning formula to be maintained, adding, “you have been very adamant and consistently biased, insincere on your stand regarding the zoning and rotation policy.

Your acceptance of aspirants from the north along with an aspirant, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, from the south for the screening exercise in preparation for the primary election is a clear breach of the zoning and rotation policy as contained in section 7.2(c) of the PDP constitution, and as upheld by the Court of Law. Whatever definition you may give to the policy, it is impossible for aspirants for the south and north to contest the primary election along each other.”

Also with President Jonathan at the National Secretariat were the Director-General of his Campaign Organisation, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe, former Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, Governors Liyel Imoke of Cross River, Gbenga Daniel of Ogun, Godswill Akpabio of AkwaIbom, Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina and Ibrahim Idris of Kogi.

Also with him were Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Maduekwe, Minister of State, Commerce and Industry, Ms Josephine Tapgun, Minister of Information and Communications, Labaran Maku, former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, ex_Governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mauzu, among others.

With Atiku were his Director-General, Senator Ben Obi, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former Governor of Central Bank, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Ibrahim Lame, Mrs Chinyere Ogugua, among others.

Atiku visits Babangida in Minna

The National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo led the NWC members to see off the President, just as he also saw Atiku Abubakar off.

Other members of the presidential screening panel Chief Sylvester Okonkwo as Secretary, Chief Innocent Nwoga, Senator C.K. Awoyelu, Chief Francis Adonkumoh, Alhaji Ibrahim Abba Gubio, Bashir Yuguda, Dr. Nuhu Zagbayi; Hajia Zainab Maina and Mrs Linda Douglas Nwibani as members.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that Atiku Abubakar immediately after the screening proceeded to Minna for consultations with former Military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who, yesterday, won at his ward to become a national delegate to the Thursday National Convention of the PDP.