New York [RR] ABUJA–details emerged on Friday that the much talked about consensus option by Northern presidential aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) collapsed following objections raised by  two of the most prominent aspirants, former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Sources confirmed to Saturday Tribune that the two former leaders backed out of the consensus option following their rejection of the procedures adopted by the 17-man committee.

It was gathered that the committee, after arriving at a particular candidate, asked all the aspirants to submit to some code of ethics which would be signed before the announcement would be made.

Sources said that the committee told the aspirants that they should agree totally with the options so as to ensure the workability of the consensus arrangement.[PHOTO: From left is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and from Right, Ex-Military Dictator Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida].

A source close to the arrangement said that the committee told the aspirants that they should agree to the fact that anyone who comes second in the rating will be made to  nominate the vice presidential candidate from any part of the country, while the candidate that comes  third in the rating of the consensus committee would be made to nominate the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

It was also gathered that the committee asked the aspirants to accept that the person that comes fourth would nominate the Senate President, while the aspirant that comes fifth would nominate the Finance Minister.

It  was gathered that the committee devised the method as a way of carrying along all aspirants.

But words were said to have gone round that the committee had rejected the likes of Atiku and Babangida on the basis of certain antecedents.

The committee was said to have recommended that the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), General Aliyu Gusau, should be presented as the Northern consensus candidate.

When the words got to the camps of General Babangida and Atiku, it was learnt that the duo rejected the option and opted out of the consensus option.

A source said that the voice of dissent was loudest from the Atiku angle, but the Babangida’s men also rejected the code of ethics drawn up by the consensus committee.

“The committee recommended that before they would announce the winner of the consensus option,  all aspirants should abide by the code of ethics which would ensure that those who come second, third, fourth and fifth will be allowed to nominate those who will occupy the vice president slot, the senate President, the SGF and the Finance Minister. If this was agreed to, then the winner would be announced.

“But Atiku people kicked first. There was loudest voice of rejection from them. Babangida’s people also rejected the option,” a source said.

The committee was said to have  arrived at the choice of Gusau after analysing the other aspirants.

The committee, according to sources, discovered that Babangida could not be presented because of several liabilities. While Atiku could also not be presented because of the several issues raised against him during the Obasanjo administration, which the committee said damaged his reputation.

Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State could also not be presented because of the claim that he does not speak Hausa  language.

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