Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Babangida Muazu Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) all elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been up in arms against President Jonathan over his rumoured second-term ambition even as their relationship with the party’s national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, has been irretrievably frosty for a while.
Although the crisis in the PDP has been largely responsible for the plethora of conflicts within the party, the outcome of the May 24 election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) had deepened the already sour relationship between the governors and the presidency on one hand and the governors and the leadership of the PDP on the other.
Lately, the governors have been touring the country, consulting with notable leaders of the nation with a view to convincing President Jonathan to ignore pressure on him to run for a second term on the basis of an alleged pact he had with the north in 2011: that he would not seek a second term come 2015.
There have been speculations that the governors, now referred to as anti-Jonathan governors for their opposition to his 2015 ambition, have been tinkering with three ideas: to defect to the newly-registered All Progressives Congress (APC); to float their own political party, or mobilise against Jonathan within the party and present a common front in the mould of an aspirant to face the president at the presidential nomination in December 2014.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the aggrieved PDP governors are yet to agree on any of the options they have set for themselves.
For instance, while Governor Nyako favours an outright defection to the APC, others, suspicious that the odds are against them in the new party, have become indifferent, insisting on “wider consultations” instead.
Meanwhile, the APC has said it has no intention of reaching out to persons who are not interested in joining its fold willingly.
A source close to the governors, apart from Nyako, said: “For now, the best thing to do is to engage in wider consultations rather than just jumping into a new party. There are many ways to kill a rat; if the PDP believes that without some governors it could go it alone, then, when election comes, we shall see.
“That has been the position of the rest governors but it is only the Adamawa governor who is insisting that his colleagues of like minds should dump the PDP now before 2015.
“I can tell you categorically that none of the governors is willing to join the APC; they were reached by the party in that regard but you know these governors are not kids; they are old war horses who know that politics is a game of interests.”
The source, a close ally of one the governors, told LEADERSHIP that, unlike in Adamawa where the APC has no structures, the situation opens an opportunity for Governor Nyako’s men to take control from the beginning. “Other states have a semblance of APC structures, making it impossible for the governors to take full charge of affairs of the new party,” he said.
The chief press secretary to Nyako, Ahmed Sajoh, confirmed that his principal’s supporters would have no option but declare for the APC if the current situation whereby Tukur decides the fate of every stakeholder in Adamawa continues “unchecked”.
“Yes, the governor has made it clear that he is not leaving PDP, but the matter in Adamawa is beyond comprehension whereby the national chairman of the PDP decides what goes on in the party in the state without an iota of concession to the governor.
“This is a sad situation we have endured for some time now; but, if it continues unchecked, of course, we (supporters of the governor) will not rule out the option of having a re-think to make our flanks open for discussion with the APC in order to protect our future as politicians.
“The matter is not Governor Nyako as a person; he has nothing to lose even if he decides to be indifferent, but he may not have control over others who feel they should seek refuge in the new party to protect their political interests,” Sajoh said.
Governor Nyako’s supporters had, three weeks ago, sought registration in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in readiness for the eventual registration of the APC.
Reacting to the development, APC’s interim national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the party was not reaching out to any PDP governor.
“Well, all I can tell you is that the APC as a party… with the kind of mobilisation going on and the acceptability nationwide, we are not reaching out to any PDP governor.
“It is matter of voluntary decision to join a group. We do not want to presume that any governor whether in the PDP or not is aggrieved; as such, we reach out to him. No, we are not doing that now,” he said.
A source close to Sule Lamido said the governor would comment on the issue at the right time.
Source: Leadership
No comments:
Post a Comment