Lamido, Shekarau, Dankwambo, others may not
step down
Former
Vice President Atiku Abubakar has one more hurdle to cross in his secret deal
with some stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, The nation can authoritatively report.
It
was learnt yesterday that Jonathan said Atiku must beg or apologize to ex-President
Olusegun Obasanjo to get the 2019 presidential ticket of the PDP on a platter
of gold.
Although
Obasanjo has quit partisan politics, Jonathan was of the opinion that “he is
still a strong factor in shaping the future of the nation in 2019 because he is
a force among the revered kingmakers.”
Former President Jonathan had in early November told the
publisher of Ovation magazine in an interview that “If Atiku gets our party
ticket, he would compete well. But he would have to reach out to our boss, Baba
OBJ, the boss of all bosses. We’ve all learnt at different times that you
ignore OBJ at your peril. OBJ has the magic wand. He is respected at home and
abroad.”
It
was however unclear if Atiku has either accepted the condition or opted to go
it alone in seeking the presidential mandate of the PDP.
But
some presidential aspirants in PDP were said not to be ready to step down for
Atiku, whom Jonathan is working to the answer for.
The
aspirants said they prefer to slug it out with Atiku during the presidential
primaries.
The
affected aspirants are ex-Governor Sule Lamido, ex-Minister Ibrahim Shekarau,
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo and a former governor (now a Senator), who is
expected to defect from APC to PDP.
The
fate of the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of PDP, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi on
the party’s 2019 ticket was hanging in the balance as at press time.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the secret deal,
which made Atiku to resign from the All Progressives Congress (APC), was
comprehensive and targeted at the ex-VP securing the PDP presidential slot.
It
was gathered that the package also borders on hijacking the party structure at
the National Convention on December 9 to make Atiku’s choice as the PDP
presidential candidate a reality.
Following
lobbying by Jonathan, some founding fathers of PDP (including a few retired
military officers), have been part of the latest course in PDP.
Investigation
revealed that most governors of the PDP were said to have bought into the Atiku
project in deference to Jonathan.
A
top source, who was privy to the deal, said: “The unfolding script on Atiku’s
return to PDP has the blessing of some founding fathers of PDP who are out to
salvage the party. A major component is a likely waiver for the ex-VP to
contest the party’s presidential primaries.
“So
far, Atiku is complying with the secret accord for his return to PDP. A formal
declaration in Yola is being expected either on Wednesday or December 6 as
indicated in a tentative timetable.
“But
in one of the negotiation shuttles with Atiku, ex-President Jonathan added a
caveat that the former Vice President can comfortably secure PDP ticket and win
the 2019 poll if he begs ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“We
were all shocked by this condition because Obasanjo is no longer in partisan
politics. But Jonathan said Obasanjo is an institution whose action or inaction
could make or mar the electoral fortunes of Atiku.
“The
former President also believes that Obasanjo may persuade any of the
presidential aspirants to withdraw for Atiku after weighing all the indices. He
said if Obasanjo could reconcile with him, he can also forgive Atiku.
“As
a matter of fact, Jonathan cited cases of chairmanship aspirants in PDP
travelling to Abeokuta to seek his blessing.
“We
are expecting Atiku to comply with this proviso because we want to begin the
media war (based on facts and figures) in earnest.
“Jonathan’s
position on Obasanjo has been endorsed by some founding fathers of PDP,
especially the military class which contrived the existence of the party.”
Meanwhile,
there were indications yesterday that some presidential aspirants in the PDP
may not step down for Atiku.
These
include Lamido, Shekarau, Dankwambo and a former governor (now a Senator), who
is expected to defect from APC to PDP.
It
was not clear if the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of PDP, Sen. Ahmed
Makarfi will seek the party’s 2019 ticket.
A
governor, who played a significant role in the pact with Atiku, said: “As part
of the deal, we have been trying to prevail on some of these aspirants to step
down but they have chosen to contest the primaries with the ex-Vice President.
“Some
of them queried why a politician will cross from the opposition party and just
be given PDP presidential ticket.
“One
of the aspirants said since 1999, he has never defected to any party. He said
loyalty to the party and competence should be compensated by PDP.
“Well,
we have looked into PDP Constitution, it is immaterial when you join, you can
enjoy the rights and privileges which a Methuselah member enjoys. Go and look
at sections 8 and 18 of our constitution.”
While
Section 8(a) and (b) of the PDP Constitution deals with the procedure for
rejoining PDP, Section 18 is on the Status of Returnee Members.
Section
8 reads: “A person who desires to rejoin the party after leaving it shall: (a)
apply to his Ward Secretary for readmission; and (b) unless given waiver by the
National Working Committee(NWC), be placed on probation for a period of not
less than one year.
“Subject
to the provision of Section 8(b), a member on probation shall have the right to
attend all meetings of the party but shall not be entitled to vote at such
meetings, nor shall he be eligible to contest for elective office on the
platform of the party.
Section
18 says: “A person who has earlier decamped from the party but later decides to
return to the party shall lose the seniority and privileges conferred on him by
his previous status.”
But
the PDP top shot said: “As the opposition party, we are looking at the larger
picture of the return of Atiku, we will give him all waivers required to ensure
his readmission.
“Some
of our leaders, who were initially opposed to the return of the ex-VP, had
shown enough understanding in the past few months.”
Meanwhile,
a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan
yesterday said the exit of Atiku would not have any significant effect on the
fortunes of the party in the 2019 general elections.
He
said no serving governor, no presiding officer of the National Assembly or key
national executive officer of the party was in sync with Atiku’s defection.
Olaosebikan
who spoke with journalists in Abuja yesterday said in spite of the defection,
President Muhammadu Buhari would win hands down and that the party would
perform better in 2019.
He
added: “Going through the resignation letter, I found out that the Turaki
did not exercise enough fortitude. He allowed politics and ambition to take
control of him. He should have stayed with his avowed position in 2013 that the
All Progressives Congress was his last bus stop politically, and leave the rest
in the hands of Allah.”
“What
the President needs from us, particularly the big political players is love,
understanding, support and prayers as already being exhibited by the National
Executive of the party and our National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who
at different fora recently gave us hope and assurances of a better tomorrow.”
When
asked of the declaration of Asiwaju Tinubu that the party would not give
automatic ticket to President Buhari for a second term, Olaosebikan told
journalists that the position of Tinubu was in the best interest of the
President, APC and the country as a whole.
“Asiwaju,
with the declaration of no automatic ticket was merely portraying the
President as a genuine democrat who believes in due process. What Asiwaju
Tinubu said was in support of strengthening our democracy and our political
institution which we need to do with all seriousness.
“You
would recall too, that he stated that all the organs of the party would support
him through the processes. In a nutshell, he is in full support of his second
term and you know with him, all the APC governors and the presiding officers in
the National Assembly, the ticket is already in the pocket of the President.
“And
when it comes to the general election, it is a platitude that you cannot compare
the popularity and acceptability of President Muhammadu Buhari with that of any
person in the country today. He will win in the North and in the South
convincingly. Buhari is not loved for money or any material thing; he is
passionately loved for his strong character and piousness.”
THE NATION
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