In an effort to pacify distraught members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih has declared that the 2015 presidential ticket of the party is open to all its eligible members.
Anenih said this in Minna when he led a delegation of the BoT for reconciliation talks with the Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, where he also said that there was no plan to push those opposed to the second term of President Goodluck Jonathan out of the party.
Anenih’s assurance came as senior officials of the party in Abuja insisted that his reconciliation visits to governors was not different from the just-concluded national tour by the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and members of the National Working Committee, NWC.
Anenih’s visit to Aliyu, who is also the chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, came on the backdrop of strong sentiments by state governors who felt that the 2015 presidential ticket had already been allocated to Jonathan, and that Tukur had turned the party into a one-man show.
The climax of the governors’ misgivings with the party came with the boycott of a lunch on Sunday celebrating the first anniversary of the Tukur-led NWC.
Aliyu, in particular, had stirred the hornet’s nest when he came out to allege that President Jonathan had signed a pact to serve for only one term after he won the 2011 elections. However, aides of the President denied the existence of such an agreement.
The meetings yesterday in Minna were conducted both in the open and behind closed-doors as stakeholders from Niger State and the BoT delegation led by Anenih thrashed out issues. Other prominent PDP chieftains at the meetings included three former national chairmen, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Col. Ahmadu Ali (rtd.), Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; former BoT Secretary, Professor Jerry Gana; former deputy national chairman, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun; secretary of the BoT Wali Jibrin, Senator Jim Nwobodo, among others.
In his welcome address, Aliyu assured Anenih and his delegation that no governor was eager to leave the party unless he was pushed out of the party. He thus tasked the party to ensure things were done properly, even as he expressed his displeasure at alleged breaches by the party’s national leadership.
Governor Aliyu also said that the merger by the opposition parties is an acceptance on their part to continue playing second fiddle to the PDP, even as he advised that the PDP should prepare to do the right things to sustain the current leadership of the country.
Although the 2005 presidential ticket was not openly mentioned, perceptions that it had been ceded to President Jonathan inevitably forced Anenih to reassure the governor and other stakeholders present that due process would be followed in presenting a PDP presidential nominee in 2015.
In his response, Anenih said an issue with such magnitude as the presidency would be determined to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
He said: ““PDP has not yet taken a final decision on who picks our presidential ticket for 2015. The ticket is still open to all members as we are still consulting.
“The issue of candidate is a very strategic matter that is very close to most of the leaders. It should not be made a market place issue.There will be enough consultations as it will be the responsibility of leaders and followers to take decision. The leaders know what to do when the time comes.
“Nobody will push anybody out of the party. For us to have come all the way from Abuja to come and see our son shows how committed we are to face our challenges squarely. We believe in dialogue and consultations.
“We are going from state to state to talk to our leaders, to appreciate the contributions of leaders, to see how to move things forward. We are in Niger State to discuss all issues pertaining to the development of Nigeria in private audience with the governor.”
Anenih commended the efforts of the state government on efforts being made to provide adequate security in Niger State, which he said had made Niger one of the most peaceful states in the country.
He called on the people of the state to continue to rally round the government for more meaningful development to take place in the state.