The South-south Vanguard of the Peoples Democratic Party (SSV-PDP) has dismissed the debate over voting by the screening committee set up by the party to shortlist candidates for the position of running mate to presidential standard-bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The SSV-PDP, a coalition of young members with focus on grassroots mobilization and membership drive within the South-south zone, said the narrative that the 17-member  committee voted 14-3 in favour of Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, as nominee for running mate was wrong because the mandate of the committee was to shortlist three persons and not to narrow the choice to one person through voting.

“If the committee voted as is being said, then it was wrong to have done so because that would mean over-stepping the brief given to it,” the group said.

Zonal coordinator of the group, Mr. Alfred Eboziem, in a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday faulted claims by certain respectable persons in the committee that Atiku and the PDP leadership went against the recommendation of the committee.

The PDP group explained that both Atiku and the leadership of the party were clear on the mandate of the committee which was to narrow the list to three names from which the presidential standard bearer will make his choice as demanded by the constitution.

The statement stated inter alia: “We have watched the evolving narrative surrounding the choice of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate to our Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. While we acknowledge that the arguments, back and forth, are elements of democracy and show that democracy is alive and well in our party, we wish to correct certain misconceptions.

“As young members of our party who look up to the party leadership for direction and guidance, we want to publicly appeal to our dedicated elders in the party including Governors Wike, Samuel Ortom of Benue and other aggrieved party faithful to close ranks and forge the type of iron-cast unity that would see our party victorious in 2023.

“We have noticed that some non-PDP members are the ones crying more than the bereaved by sustaining a totally untrue narrative that the screening committee was asked by the party leadership to produce a running mate for Atiku. This is a wrong premise to stand their argument of injustice because the brief from the party leadership and Atiku was for the committee to submit three names. At no point would the party and Atiku have asked any committee or individual to produce the running mate when the constitution has clearly spelt out the process of picking a running mate.

“As democrats who are governed by the rule of law, we wish to refer to Section 142 (1) of the 1999 constitution as amended and it states: “In any election to which the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Chapter relate, a candidate for an election to the office of President shall not be deemed to be validly nominated unless he nominates another candidate as his associate from the same political party for his running for the office of President, who is to occupy the office of Vice-President and that candidate shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of Vice-President if the candidate for an election to the office of President, who nominated him as such associate is duly elected as President in accordance with the provisions aforesaid.”

The group said that even the constitution forbids any committee, party leadership or individual order than the presidential candidate from picking a running mate. That honour belongs solely to the presidential candidate, and Atiku, having chosen Delta governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate, deserves to be commended for heeding the provisions of the constitution.