A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa Balewa, has stepped down for President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a dramatic move, Balewa, who participated in the presidential screening exercise at the party’s national secretariat on Wednesday in Abuja, decided to withdraw from the race, although he had participated in the screening exercise yesterday.
“I have decided to withdraw my aspiration for the strength and well-being of the party. I am a strong PDP member and I will continue to work for the progress of the party”, Balewa, who is the son of Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa said.
The chairman of the screening committee and former PDP national chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, who had earlier announced Balewa’s decision to withdraw from the race, commended the aspirant’s decision.
Ali said: “After going through 90 minutes that the screening exercise lasted, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to withdraw from the race.
“He has promised to do everything to ensure the success of the party at the poll. We commend him for the decision, although he chose to go through the entire process of screening before deciding to withdraw”.
