Governors Give PDP, Jonathan Three Conditions For 2015 General Election

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have given three conditions to back President Goodluck Jonathan’s yet-unannounced re-election bid.

The conditions are:

- allowing outgoing governors to choose their successors;

- automatic second term tickets for those running first term in office; 

- automatic senatorial seats for governors aspiring to be in the Senate.

Although Jonathan is set to emerge the sole presidential candidate of the PDP, all is not well within the party on how to meet the demands of the governors, a source told The Nation.

Some of the governors are threatening protest votes in their states if they are not allowed to have their way.

PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu is said to be battling to manage the situation.

Mu’azu, who is opposed to automatic tickets, has to devise means of accommodating the agitation of the governors, a source said.

Currently, PDP has 18 governors out of 36 states, APC has 16 governors, while APGA and Labour Party have one apiece.

Some of the governors believed to have senatorial ambition in 2015 or being prevailed upon to go to the upper chamber are Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Theodore Orji (Abia); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Martins Elechi (Ebonyi); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi); Jonah Jang (Plateau); and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi).

Those seeking second term are Henry Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Ramalan Yero (Kaduna); Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe); Idris Wada (Kogi) - when due; Acting Governor Garba Umar (Taraba);

There has been disquiet in the party on the demands of the governors.

A governor said: “All the governors are united in their demands to have a say on who will succeed them and second term tickets for their colleagues who still have the opportunity of another term in office.

Responding to a question, the source said: “The likelihood of realignment of forces and protest votes cannot be ruled out.”

Another governor said there was no way the party would not make concessions to allow the second term ticket of the President to sail through.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, was unavailable last night. His mobile lines were switched off.

But the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu had on January 28 declared at the National Assembly that there would be no automatic tickets for members seeking offices in 2015.

Mu’azu spoke at a session with PDP members in the National Assembly.

At the meeting were Uduaghan, Imoke, Shema, Yero, Aliyu and Orji.

Mu’azu said automatic tickets were only given by parties that were undemocratic.

Mu’azu stressed that he inherited no records of any promise made by the immediate past national chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, of giving automatic ticket to any member.

A member of the NWC, who spoke last night, said: “Neither Mu’azu nor PDP has changed its position; there will be no automatic ticket for any member in 2015.

Source: Legit.ng