A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governorship aspirant in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, has faulted the adoption of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole Presidential Candidate of the party for the 2015 general elections in the country.
In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja he stated that “the PDP said the adoption of President Jonathan as its sole candidate for the 2015 presidential elections is based on standard example from America where incumbents are given the right to first refusal.
“As an Historian, I can confirm to you that this is a false claim.
“All through the democratisation process of America’s presidential system of government, and especially as partisan politics gained pre-eminence, incumbents have severally been challenged at nominations.
“In fact, on many occasions political parties often bypassed leading candidates including interested incumbent presidents in favour of more popular candidates,” he added.
Ardo noted that “President John Tyler was bypassed by his Whig party in 1843 to nominate the powerful Senator from Kentucky, Sen. Henry Clay. President Millard Fillmore was challenged and defeated in the Whig party presidential primaries of 1852 by Gen. Winfield Scott,” he stated.
