The former Senate President, David Mark, has been named the chairman of the presidential screening committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The nine-member committee was announced in a communique signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.
The committee members are, former governor of Rivers State, Celestine Omehia; senior lawyer Mike Ahamba; a former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko; Edward Ashiekaa, a legal practitioner and a women advocate, Hilda Makonto.
Others are former presidential aide Akilu Indabawa, Esther Uduehi and Hassana Dikko.
The presidential screening, according to the communique, will hold at the Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja on April 29.
The announcement comes about three days after the party ended the sale and submission of expression of interest and nomination forms.
The David Mark-led panel is expected to screen at least 17 presidential aspirants who had purchased and submitted the forms before the deadline.
The PDP has also constituted the presidential screening appeal panel. The panel is headed by the National Chairman, Iyorcha Ayu.
The 25-member committee is made up of the National Working Committee of the party and six members of the Board of Trustees (drawn from the six geopolitical zones).
Other committees
The PDP has also constituted six gubernatorial screening committees (made of seven members each) for the geopolitical zones and a 13-member gubernatorial screening appeal committee.
The former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, is to head the South-west gubernatorial screening committee, while Bayelsa State Governor, Diri Douye, will head the South-south panel. The former deputy governor of Abia State, Acho Nwakanma, will head the South-east panel.
The former Ondo State deputy governor, Oluwateru Omolade, is to chair the North-west panel, while a former minister, Abdu Bulama, will head the North-east panel and Tim Eneje will head the North-central panel.
The PDP also announced 36 State Houses of Assembly and National Assembly screening panels as well as the screening appeal panels.
Mr Bature also noted that all State Houses of Assembly and National Assembly screenings shall hold at the state capital of each state on April 27 – save for Anambra.
“In the case of Anambra, the State House and National Assembly screenings shall hold at the national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.”
For gubernatorial screening, all governorship screening exercises will hold at the zonal secretariat of each zone, except the North west zone which shall hold at the national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja – on April 28.
All screening appeals will hold on May 3, the party stated.
