In what appears to be a clear endorsement of the yet to be declared intention of Goodluck Jonathan to contest next year’s election, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the contest for the party’s 2011 presidential nomination is open to all aspirants.
The chairman of the party, Okwesilieze Nwodo, who disclosed the party’s position after its National Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, however, cautioned that the party has not completely abandoned its zoning arrangement.
Asked if the party had done away with zoning, he said, “When former President Olusegun Obasanjo emerged, he chose a Northern Muslim, Atiku Abubakar, as his
Photo:
vice president. When the (former party) chairman resigned, he was replaced by another chairman from the South Eastern zone. Our Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker are from different zones of the country. How then can PDP be said to have abandoned zoning or rotation?” Mr Nwodo pointed out that the party had not always adhered to the arrangement in the past. He said it was only rigid about rotating power to the southern part of the country in 1998 because of the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
But in 2003 and 2007, the contest was thrown open to all aspirants, irrespective of their zone.
“If our late president were alive today, we wouldn’t be contesting his right to run for a second term under our national constitution. It was his entitlement,” he said. “This will, of course, not exclude any other aspirant from any part of the country from contesting the presidential primary, as it has become the custom of our party.”
Later, Solomon Lar, the founding chairman of the party, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Mr Jonathan will be serving out the terms of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan joint mandate.
According to reports, a proposal on the zoning arrangement was presented by Mr Nwodo and it was unanimously adopted. The chairman had proposed that Mr Jonathan, currently serving out the joint mandate of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket, had the right to run for a second term under the party’s national constitution.
“In the zoning formula, we did not envisage that a serving president will die in office. Today, Jonathan, by the dictates of the party constitution, is serving out the term of the mandate given by the people of our dear country. That being the case, the party believes rightly that Jonathan, who is part and parcel of the mandate, has a right to contest the remainder of their joint ticket in 2011,” he said. Ibrahim Shema, the governor of Katsina State, had moved a motion for the adoption of the continuity of the mandate and was seconded by a member of the PDP Board of Trustee, Tony Anenih.
A source, who asked to remain anonymous, told NAN that the motion did not receive any opposition, adding that the party granted a waiver to people from Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Abia and Niger States, who intend to return to its fold.
Dangerous primaries ahead
In a reference to supporters of the zoning arrangement, Mr Nwodo noted that “reforms are sometimes hard to accept, especially when we are called upon to abandon old ways of doing things. In preaching these reforms, we may have hurt the sensibility of some of our members. We, thereby, present our unreserved apology. But we, however, continue to appeal that these reforms be accepted by all our party members.” In his address, Mr Jonathan pleaded with members of the party to exercise decorum in the months ahead, as the party prepares to conduct its primaries.
“Wherever two people stay, they must disagree. Husband and wife must disagree. Siblings belonging to the same parents must disagree, and as a party, we must disagree, but what makes us strong is that we have the ability to resolve our differences.” He also appealed to members to hold dialogues instead of switching parties.
“When you have crisis, the faction that is disgruntled will first of all give their votes to another person. Even though they will regret later, but in anger they will dash their votes out. But by God’s grace, we will be resolving our crisis internally. We will not argue it in the public.”
Other party matters
Mr Nwodo announced that sections of the party constitution, especially those that affect delegates in the party’s primaries and convention, will be amended in line with the provisions of the recently-passed 2010 electoral Act.
Though the resolutions of the NEC meeting will be made public today, sources at the meeting said the online registration of members was suspended in the interim.
The source, who declined to be named, also said that the council accepted the return of the Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, to the party. However, he only narrowly got its waiver to contest in 2011 under the party platform.
Most of the party’s governors spoke vehemently against the waiver, demanding that he goes back to his ward and register, as stipulated by the party’s constitution. It took the intervention of President Jonathan to sway the council.
Roll call at PDP NEC Meeting
President Goodluck Jonathan
Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo
Senate President David Mark
Speaker Dimeji Bankole
Dr. Alex Ekwueme
Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu
Chief Barnabas Gemade
Dr. Ahmadu Ali,
Prince Vincent Eze Ogbulafor
Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia
Chief Tony Anenih.
Chief Ebenezer Babatope
Professor Jerry Gana
Adamu Hassan,
Senator Walid Jibrin,
Senator Stella Omu,
MajGen Mohammadu Magoro (Rtd),
Sen. Abubakar Sodangi
Shuaibu Oyedokun,
Nana Aisha Kadiri
Yekini Adeojo
Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,
Kassim Ibrahim Imam
Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan
Gov Babangida Aliyu,
GovChristopher Alao-Akala,
Gov Isa Yuguda
Gov Godswill Akpabio,
Gov Rotimi Amaechi,
Gov Liyel Imoke,
Gov Sullivan Chime.
Gov Bukola Saraki
Gov Saidu Dakingari
Gov Ibrahim Shema
Gov Danjuma Goje
Gov Segun Oni,
Gov Timipre Sylva,
Gov Olagunsoye Oyinlola,
Gov Aliyu Shinkafi,
Gov Gbenga Daniel,
Gov Martin Elechi.
Gov Sule Lamido,
Gov Akwe Doma,
Gov Murtala Nyako,
Dep Gov Ramallan Yero
Dep Gov Paullen Tallen
Hajia Hauwa Kida
Mrs Christy Silas,
Hajia Rabi Murktar Mohammed
Senator Nicholas Ugbane,
Senator Osita Izunaso,
Senator Lee Maeba,
Garba Matazu,
Farouk Lawal,
Ataii Idoko
Comments