Indications have emerged that former ministers under the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan have disagreed with the party’s choice of Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff as the new Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It was gathered that at least 15 of the former ministers met in Abuja on Wednesday evening to take a stand on the appointment of the new chairman.
According to reports, the ministers were not favourably disposed to the choice of Sheriff as the chairman who will re-position the party to seize power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) come 2019.
In fact, so great is their aversion to the party’s choice that the former ministers are said to be on a warpath with their former boss, Dr. Jonathan, who supported Sheriff’s appointment and even described him as the “right choice for the opposition”.
It was learnt that the ministers also threatened to leave the PDP if they could not do anything to alter the situation, The Nation reports.
According to the spokesman of the former ministers, Dr. Suleiman Abubakar, “Our rescue mission has failed, the redemption boat has capsized and our journey to recovery has come to an end.
“Whosoever partook in the decision does not mean well for the party and democracy in Nigeria. It is obvious the fifth columnists have hijacked the party and they are hell bent on sinking it deeper into irrecoverable level of the pit.
“Some of us would rather review our membership than subject ourselves to selfish interests of a cabal whose main goal is political profiteering. After all our umbilical cord is not tied to any party.”
However, a top source within the party thinks otherwise, stating that former President Jonathan was convinced that Sheriff had the right credentials to lead the party of out of the woods.
He said: “Jonathan believes that Sheriff has the guts, influence, native wisdom and the wherewithal to lead PDP to displace the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Jonathan and the governors teamed up to choose Sheriff who was part of the leaders who coordinated the merger of parties into the APC.
“Their aim is to have an opposition with much bite in the light of the way the APC government is exposing Jonathan’s tenure.
“They are looking at the rough side of politics towards 2019 and they think Sheriff can withstand the APC.”
Meanwhile, Sheriff, who has the support of the PDP Governors, has already resumed duties as the new Chairman, going to the Abia state capital, Umuahia, to celebrate with other party officials the victory of the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, at the Supreme Court.
He has promised to seize power for the PDP come the 2019 general elections.