The D-day for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention in Port Harcourt where a presidential candidate will emerge for the party is finally here.

The PDP field is star-studded, with 12aspirants seeking the party ticket having the pedigree of name recognition across the country.

As we countdown to the convention, we look at three possible reasons that may work in favour of Governor Aminu Tambuwal in the race for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket.

Tambuwal is the current governor of Sokoto state and was speaker of the house of representatives between 2011 and 2015.

He was elected speaker on the platform of PDP but defected to APC in 2014.

He later won the governorship ticket of the APC and defeated the PDP candidate in the 2015 election, only to return to the PDP a few months ago.

His first experience in legislative proceedings was in 1999, as a personal assistant on legislative affairs to Abdullahi Wali, the then senate leader.

Tambuwal has said if elected president, part of his agenda would be to address the seeming lack of transparency in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He is 52 and is one of the youngest among the PDP presidential aspirants.

Rich pockets will not determine the winner

If the PDP convention cum primaries will be decided by the highest bidder, then Tambuwal has absolutely no chance against the likes of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and even Senate President Bukola Saraki.

However, recent trends have shown that money is not usually the sole deciding factor at least in the case of opposition political party.

The opposition political party in the search for its standard bearer, go beyond the stereotype criteria of settling for the aspirant with the deepest pockets.

In 2014, when the APC settled for General Buhari as its candidate, he was probably the least endowed, financially speaking. And this did not begin with President Buhari.

Indeed, former Presidents Obasanjo, the late Umaru   Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, did not emerge as flag bearers, and ultimately as elected President, on the strength of financial superiority over those who stood against them in party primaries.

So, given this trend, Tambuwal stands a big chance.

Clean record

From the 13 aspirants jostling for the PDP ticket, Tambuwal has at least a semblance of clean record of service compared to his teammates.

Most of the other aspirants of the PDP cannot boast of posing an unblemished record of service, devoid of inquisition by the anti-graft agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)?

The Sokoto State governor is without a file in the offices of the ICPC, the EFCC or Code of Conduct Tribunal, he is also not known to have been issued a police summons in his over 15 years of public service.

Immunity

 

The second consideration– although closely related to the first – is the issue of immunity.

 

Under the current inclement political climate which the country is experiencing, it would be tantamount to foolhardiness for the PDP to settle for a candidate who currently does not enjoy immunity.

 

It would not be surprising if the ruling party clamps down on any PDP aspirant even before due date.