TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set October 30 as the deadline for all party members seeking to contest elective offices in 2015, including President Goodluck Jonathan, to pick up their expression of interest and nomination forms.

The party said that aspirants could not stand for election or the party’s primaries until they had purchased forms to demonstrate interest in the race.

Olisa Metuh, national publicity secretary of the party, disclosed this while addressing journalists on the outcome of the meeting of the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in Abuja on Wednesday.

Metuh said that the President had to pick up forms despite his adoption as the party’s sole candidate for the 2015 presidential election.

“The constitution of the party stipulates that there will be a national convention, where decisions or memos from the national executives will either be approved or rejected and there is no way that you can go to a presidential election and say you are adopting or electing someone who has not bought the form,” he said.

“The 30th of October for purchase of forms will not be extended and it is applicable to all candidates. That date and time would not be changed.”

Responding to a question on whether Jonathan would be eligible to participate in the party’s national convention even when he has not obtained the PDP expression of interest and nomination forms, Metuh was confident that the President would obtain his form soon.

However, he explained that until that is done, the president cannot be viewed as participating in the convention as a candidate of the PDP.

President Jonathan is expected to pay a total of N22 million to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms ahead of the December 6 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party where he would formally emerge as the sole presidential candidate of the party.