ABUJA- AHEAD of the November 29 governorship primary
election of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP where candidates would emerge for
the February, 2015 election, President Goodluck Jonathan has told governors
elected on the platform of the party that they must produce for PDP very
popular and acceptable candidates that were capable of wining elections.
According to the President, the governors must not hand
pick candidates, it must be done through consultation with leaders, elders,
stakeholders and party members in the state, just as he stressed that there
should be primary election where the people of the state would decide who
should be the candidate of the party.
These were part of the issues raised by President Jonathan on Sunday night when
he met behind closed doors with PDP governors at the Presidential Vila, Abuja.
A source told Vanguard that the President warned that the
party must put forward its best in the states, like what happened in Ekiti
state where governor Ayodele Fayose insisted that there must be primary election
despite the push by some aspirants, stakeholders, leaders and elders that the
party should go for a consensus candidate, but for the insistence of Alhaji
Adamu Muazu led National Working Committee, NWC, the Ekiti State and Osun went
for primary election, Fayose emerged for Ekiti and Senator Iyiola Omisore
emerged for Osun State.
Though Fayose won, but Omisore was defeated by the
candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rauf Aregbesola.
Sunday meeting with the president was a follow up to the
one held with Muazu on Wednesday by the Governors which ended in deadlock
following some irreconcilable differences on the issue of conducting primaries.
The meeting was called primarily by the governors to
express their displeasure over the stoppage of consensus endorsement of their
candidates ahead of 2015 general elections and their own candidature by the
National Working Committee, NWC.
At the meeting, it was gathered that the President told
the governors that the party cannot afford to loose any state to the APC
because of the presentation of unpopular candidates, adding that the Party was
working towards winning the states that were presently being controlled by the
opposition in addition to the PDP states and not having any one won by the APC
because of wrong candidates.
The governors were said to have raised the issue of
endorsement, automatic tickets for them especially those who were rounding off
and warming up to come to the Senate, to ensure that their preferred successors
get tickets as well as automatic tickets for first term governors.
At the meeting, discussions were said to have centred on
the forthcoming party primary elections and repositioning of the party.
Among the governors at the meeting were Olusegun Mimiko
(Ondo State), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi State), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe State) and
Martin Elechi (Ebonyi).
Others were Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Godswill Akpabio
(Akwa Ibom), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) , Babangida
Aliyu (Niger), Umar Garba (Acting Governor of Taraba) as well as the deputy
governors of Sokoto and Nasarawa states.
It was also gathered that the Governors were not
comfortable with the decision of the President especially against the backdrop
that many of the Governors were already endorsing some aspirants to take over
from them, but after much persuasion from the President, the Governors were
said to have reluctantly agreed to open primary election.
It would be recalled that inspite of passive ad open
endorsement by the governors, many aspirants have been coming to Wadata Plaza,
PDP National Secretariat to purchase their expression of interest and
nomination forms to avoid being fenced out at the State secretariats.
From the meeting, it appeared that both the President and
the NWC were not ready to change the position of the party, insisting on
primary elections and a level playing field for all which include both the
governors, serving senators as well as new aspirants, an indication that
governors who want to come to the Upper Chambers without going through the
hurdles of primaries, may not have it easy.
This forms one of the issues annoying the governors that
having endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s sole candidate ahead
of the December 6 National Convention, they should equally enjoy same
treatment.
It would be recalled that since the PDP announced the
cancellation of all endowment by the Governors, Zonal and State leadership,
strong indications emerged that a cold war looms between the outgoing Governors
who want to “plant ” their successors as they leave office and the NWC and by
extension as well as the Presidency.
It would be recalled that there have been reports of full
and passive endorsement of candidates by the PDP governors, like Governor
Gabriel Suswam of Benue State had announced the endorsement of Senate President
David Mark for a fifth time in the Senate, just as Senate Leader, Senator
Victor Ndoma- Egba representing Cross River Central was at a rally in Ikom
endorsed to return to the Senate for a fourth time.
Of the present nineteen PDP governor, those who are not
rounding off their various tenure in office and want to come back for second
term are governors Murktar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State; the Acting Governor of
Taraba State, Garba Umar; Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe; Henry Seriake-Dickson of
Bayelsa; Capt. Idris Wada, the Present Adamawa State governor, Bala James
Ngilari, among others.
Besides Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa; other governors
of PDP who are outgoing have got the machinery of the party and some persons in
their states to anoint them for the Senate. They are Governors Godswill Akpabio
of Akwa Ibom; Gabriel Suswam of Benue; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta; Saidu
Dakingari of Kebbi; Theodore Orji of Abia; Sullivan Chime of Enugu; Ibrahim
Shema of Katsina; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Jonah Jang of Plateau and Babangida
Aliyu of Niger.
It would also be recalled that as these governors plan to
move from their various government Houses to the Senate, they already have
their anointed sons to take over from them. Like in Enugu State, member,
representing Udenu/ Igboeze- North in the Federal House of Representatives and
Chairman, House Committee on Marine Transport, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been endorsed
by governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State as his possible successor.
In Akwa Ibom State, governor Godswill Akpabio is said to
have settled for the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Udom Emmanuel,
while Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State has endorsed the Minister of Health,
Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, in Delta State, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is said
to be backing Anthony Chucks Obuh; the Minister of State, Education, Nyesom
Wike is being looked at by the Rivers State chapter of PDP and in Bauchi, governor
Yuguda may not have made up his mind on who should be between the former PDP
Acting National Secretary and Chairman, Governing Board of Tertiary Education
Trust Fund, (TETFUND), Dr. Musa Babayo and former Minister of State, Health,
Dr. Muhammed Ali Pate.
According to PDP guidelines, Ward Congresss for 3 Ad- hoc
Delegates is fixed for November 1; Appeals, November3; Local Government Area
Congresess for National Delegates is November 8; Appeals if any is November 10.
The Governorship primary election is fixed for November
29; Senate isNovember 22; House of Representatives is fixed for November 19
It will be recalled that the NWC had penultimate week,
warned all the governors, all the Zonal and state Chairmen to jettison such
idea of having any anointed candidate ahead of the November 29 th Governorship
Primary election when Gubernatorial candidates would emerge.
A statement signed . by PDP National Secretary, Prof.
Wale Oladipo read, “The National Working Committee (NWC) at its meeting today,
Thursday, October 9, 2014 noted that some elected officers of our great Party
at the state level have continued to engage in processes aimed at endorsing
candidates for the 2015 general elections despite warnings from the national
leadership that they, as unbiased umpires should not involved in such.
“The NWC strongly frowns at this development and issues
this as a final warning to all elected party officials and chapters at all
levels, and shall not hesitate to sanction such erring officers or chapters.
“The sanctity of our nomination processes must be
protected at all times. We therefore wish to assure all party members that
there shall be a level playing ground for all aspirants intending to
participate in the nomination processes.
“Consequently, the NWC will not hesitate to protect any
of our members who in any way stands to be shortchanged, cheated or victimized
by such endorsements.
“The NWC charges all our members and supporters therefore
to disregard all such endorsements as the PDP will conduct primaries to duly
elect our flag bearers in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the
constitution of our great party.”
Source:
Vanguard
No comments:
Post a Comment