Sokoto: Tambuwal ‘replaces’ Dan’iya as PDP gov’ship candidate

The PDP in Sokoto State may have affirmed the candidature of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for the forthcoming governorship election in the state after he lost out at the presidential primaries held, Saturday, in Port Harcourt.

Tambuwal’s name may have replaced that of the immediate past Commissioner for Local Government Affairs in the state, Manir Dan’iya.

Delegates from the 23 local government areas of the state converged at the party’s secretariat on Sunday night and endorsed Tambuwal as their governorship candidate.

A chieftain of the party told Daily Trust that the former commissioner voluntarily stepped down for his boss and that their late night meeting was to reaffirm Tambuwal’s candidature.

The chieftain, who sought for anonymity, added that they tried to beat the deadline of INEC which was 12 midnight.

Daily Trust observed that during the meeting, former commissioners were involved in screening delegates and taking their inventory. The delegates were called according to their local government areas to line up for a head count after which they were asked to vacate the scene.

However, the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma, while fielding questions from newsmen said, “We gathered our delegates here only to thank them for their support and cooperation during our primaries and the national convention but not to affirm Tambuwal as our candidate for governorship election.”

When pressed further, he said “We already have our candidate who is Manir Dan’iya. We did not change him.”