As the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) finally hold their special mini-convenion, President Goodluck Jonathan and his political associates will try to put into execution their plans to have elected a new National Working Committee (NWC) that will be loyal to him.
The NWC of the PDP had been forced to resign in June this year as a result of discrepancies observed in the manner of their election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, President Jonathan faces a challenge from his new political foe, Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is supporting a different candidate for the position of the Deputy National Chairman of the party.
Amaechi’s candidate, Dr. Sam Jaja, the immediate past Deputy National Chairman will be squaring against the anointed man of President Jonathan, Mr. Uche Secondus, who is a former National Organizing Secretary of the party and also has the endorsement of the South-South caucus of the party.
Amaechi enjoys the backing of the group of Northern governors, now known as the G5+ governors, Sule Lamido(Jigawa), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso(Kano), Muazu Babangida Aliyu(Niger), Aliyu Wamakko(Sokoto), Murtala Nyako(Adamawa), and possibly, Abdulfattah Ahmed(Kwara).
“It is an open contest, no one is cabined to vote for a particular person or aspirant because this is democracy; whether someone was adopted or not we do not know, but we as delegates, we will go for the best of the aspirants for the various positions and vote for them”, a close ally of one of the G5+ governors told this paper in confidence.
Also, there was anxiety among stakeholders as fears heightened that the convention was likely to entertain a motion of endorsement of vote of confidence on President Jonathan and the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, fuelling speculations that a motion for an alteration of the PDP constitution to allow for automatic ticket for the president and first term governors was in the offing.
As at the time of this report, President Jonathan, Tukur and other selected leaders of the party were in a closed-door meeting in the presidential villa. Details of the meeting were sketchy but a source said, the meeting was to have a preview of today’s convention.
Apart from the position of the Deputy National Chairman, other postions out for grab include: National Publicity Secretary, National Woman Leader, Financial Secretary, Youth Leader, National Auditor, Assistant National Secretary, among others.
“The battle is not new to you people because you have been following up I guess; the three most important positions for contest are the deputy national chairman, woman leader and the national publicity secretary. But of all, the deputy national chairman has attracted our attention because there are two contestants who will renew the battle between Mr President and Governor Amaechi.
“It is not as if people planned it that way, but that is where we find ourselves and there is nothing we can do to help the situation because we tried to appeal to Dr Jaja to show some understanding but from the look of things, he is ready for the contest and no one can stop him from exercising his constitutional right”.
The source confirmed that President Jonathan was meeting with Tukur and some few leaders at the villa but declined to give details. “I know they are meeting but one cannot predict or pre-empt what they are meeting over, it could be routine briefing from the national chairman”, he said.
But a source within the party said the meeting was to have forehand information about today’s proceedings, especially as there is a notice from a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP to effect some changes in the constitution.
It was also learnt that a member of the NEC from the southeast has already notified the NWC of an intention to move a motion for an amendment of an aspect of the constitution. Twice, the move to insert the automatic ticket clause in the PDP constitution through a motion has been postponed.
Meanwhile, the meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum which ended at 11.40 pm was seen as the last of the pre-convention sessions ahead of today’s convention.
The governors, it was gathered, were to confer with President Jonathan later at the villa to brief him of their level of preparedness ahead of the convention.
An insider told this correspondent in confidence that the meeting of the governors bordered on the crises in some states, particularly Adamawa where Governor Nyako and Tukur have been having it rough with each other over control of party structures.
But addressing reports after the meeting, the host and governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio said the meeting of the governors was to draw the agenda of the convention and to ensure effective mobilization of their delegates to today’s convention.
Akpabio said: “We expect a hitch-free convention tomorrow (today); as we bond together and show that we can resolve our differences, we intend to use the opportunity to ensure that we forge ahead as one united entity.
“The PDP governors have always spoken with one voice even though they will always have their differences here and there; the convention will start the healing process within the party and help in putting right structures in place,” Akpabio said.
The governors who attended the meeting were: Emmanuel Udughan(Delta), Hassan Dankwabo(Gombe), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Martin Elechi(Ebonyi), Muazu Babangida Aliyu(Niger), Garba Umar(Acting governor of Taraba), Isa Yuguda(Bauchi), Ibrahim Shema(Katsina), Abdulfatah Ahmed(Kwara), Gabvriel Suswam(Benue), Idris Wada(Kogi), Jonah Jang(Plateau), Murtala Nyako(Adamawa), Liyel Imoke(Cross Rivers) and Ramalan Yero(Kaduna)
The governors of Sokoto, Rivers, Enugu, Jigawa, Kebbi and Kano were absent.