Strong indications have emerged that some second term governors, elected
on the platform of the PDP who are eyeing the Senate in 2015, may have
some hurdles to cross ahead of nomination.
A meeting between the PDP national chairman, Dr Adamu Mu’azu, and
governors elected on the platform of the party, which took place on
Wednesday night at his residence, failed to reach a consensus on the
vexed issue of endorsement and automatic tickets for first term
governors, Senate-bound governors and their preferred successors.
They are expected to reconvene over the weekend, but a party source said
‘acceptable conditions’ are likely to be given to the outgoing
governors who want the PDP ticket to go to the Senate.
“They cannot have everything they want,” the source, a member of the
party’s National Working Committee told a team of journalists in Abuja
over the weekend.
According to him, the party was worried that even though it desired that
some its ranking senators returned to the Senate in 2015, the
activities of some of the governors had become ‘big constraints on the
way of the party’s desire.’
As the party tries to manage this development, a south-south governor
(names withheld) and the senator representing his senatorial district
openly confronted themselves before President Goodluck Jonathan at the
Presidential Villa last week over the Senate ticket for the zone.
According to Leadership, aside confirming that there were indeed
pressures from the outgoing governors on Mu’azu and President Jonathan
over the issue of automatic senatorial tickets for the two-term
governors, the NWC member disclosed that the national leadership of the
party had concluded plans to meet with the governors to reel certain
conditions.
“The truth is that the pressure has always been there since the issue of
the president’s endorsement was concluded at our last NEC meeting. It
has taken a very dangerous dimension because of our desire to strengthen
our National Assembly, especially the Senate, so that the polity could
benefit from their wealth of experience, but the governors and their
desire to all go to the Senate is setting a big constraint on our desire
for this.
“While we believe that the governors are our field commanders, we cannot
say in the same breath that our senators are no more useful and should
be discarded; so we have outlined some acceptable conditions that will
guide both the governors and the senators; because, especially the
governors, they cannot have everything for themselves without
consideration for others.
“We are going to tell them politely that if a governor wishes to go to
the Senate, fine, but such one cannot be the one to anoint his
successor; and, if at all, let the senator any governor wishes to
replace also take the governorship slot,” he explained.
The disclosure by the NWC member came on the heels of the report that a
south-south governor had lured the senator representing his (the
governor’s) zone to Aso Villa to see the president.
According to him, as soon as they settled for discussions, the governor
told President Jonathan to ‘look for something for the senator’ after
the elections because he (the governor) was already set to supplant the
senator at the National Assembly.
“It was very embarrassing that the senator had to pointedly tell the
governor that if he wanted to go the Senate, he (senator) was ready to
be governor. It took the intervention of the president to calm frayed
nerves because it was becoming a heated argument between them in the
presence of Mr President,” he said.
It was gathered that the governor did not take the stands of the senator
because he had already endorsed someone to take over from him in 2015.
It has emerged that in Enugu State, Governor Sullivan Chime is set to replace Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
In Delta, it is Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan versus Senator James Manager
even as Cross River State governor Liyel Imoke has not hidden his plans
to replace Senator Ndoma-Egba with Hon John Eno.
Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio is trying to displace Senator
Aloysius Etok just as Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam is battle
ready to upstage former PDP national chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade.
In Niger State, Senator Nuhu Zagbayi’s stay in the Senate might be
abridged as Governor Babangida Aliyu has indicated an interest to take
it over...
PDP, please ensure there is a level playing field for all aspirants.