 However, his nomination was contested by 23 of the 47 aspirants, citing lack of transparency in the process.After this initial rancour, 36 out of the 47 candidates, and several top shots of the PDP affirmed their support for Soludo on Wednesday, 14 October 2009.Soludo went on to lose to Peter Obi in an election which was largely considered free and fair according to major election observers.