'Election Petition - No Plan to Drop Yar'Adua, Says PDP' Thisday

11 December 2007
Posted to the web 11 December 2007
Chuks Okocha
Abuja
As the various forces within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continue to plot their strategies for the chairmanship position, the party has doused speculations that it is planning to drop President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as its candidate should the tribunal nullify his election.

The party said yesterday in Abuja that Yar'Adua would remain its presidential candidate if the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal cancelled his election as President and ordered a fresh poll.

Former head of state and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate in the April 21 poll, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and his Action Congress (AC) counterpart and former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are at present challenging Yar'Adua's election at the tribunal.

A newspaper had alleged in a report at the weekend that former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was rooting for a change of President Yar'Adua as PDP's candidate should the presidential election tribunal nullify his election.