joshua
Success Nwogu
Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF), Pa Edwin Clark, has once again warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the party could break up or be destroyed if it jettisons its zoning arrangement on the choice of its presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
According to him, it will be dishonest and unpatriotic for the PDP leaders to abandon the zoning arrangement.
Clark said, “As the 37-Man Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the chairmanship of His Excellency, Samuel Ortom, the Executive Governor of Benue State, meets on Tuesday, 5th April 2022, to decide on the zoning of the party’s presidency, in accordance with the party’s Constitution, I wish to sound a note of caution.
“It will be dishonest and unpatriotic for the PDP leaders, who had earlier believed and benefited from the zoning arrangement of the party from 2011 to 2019, to now jettison that arrangement as contained in the party’s Constitution. Such a move will be very suicidal and can break/destroy the party. This type of selfish desire will not augur well for the party.
“It will be recalled that in 2011, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President and former Governor of Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki, strongly opposed Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential candidature, on the ground that it was the turn of the North to produce the president of the country; therefore, the position should be zoned to the North, even though President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who passed-on, was from the North. Four northern presidential aspirants were screened by a northern PDP Committee under the chairmanship of a former Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, to enable only one out of the four aspirants, to contest the Primaries against the incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. As a result, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was chosen by the north to contest the Presidential Primaries of the PDP which took place on 14th January 2011, against President Goodluck Jonathan. Dr. Jonathan won.
“In 2014, the same Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), participated in the APC Presidential Primaries with General Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State, and late Sam Nda-Isaiah, the publisher of Leadership Newspaper. General Muhammadu Buhari won the Primaries. Rabiu Kwankwaso came second and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came 3rd.
“The more recent one was in 2019, when about 12 presidential aspirants participated in the PDP Presidential Primaries which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Amongst the candidates who contested were Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Senator David Mark, former President of the Senate; Tanimu Turaki, SAN, former Minister of Special Duties; Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State; Sule Lamido, former Governor of Jigawa State; Jonah Jang, former Governor of Plateau State; Senator Daiti Baba-Ahmed Ahmed, amongst others.”
He added, “At the end of the primary elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar won with over 3,000 votes. He was followed by Aminu Tambuwal, who was heavily backed by Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State.
“Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the Governor of Delta State, was the returning officer of that credible party primary elections.
“There was no southern presidential aspirant who contested in that party primary election because it was zoned to the north.
“I categorically wish to state that most of the arrangements took place at my residence in Abuja, under the auspices of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF). So, I am abreast with the happenings.
“When Alhaji Atiku Abubakar finally won the primaries, we all supported him and campaigned for him. We were even ready for any eventuality when we discovered that the general election which made President Muhammadu Buhari to win again, was not free and fair. Meanwhile, the same Alhaji Abubakar, left everything and everyone after the election, and ‘relocated’ to Dubai.
“On his part, President Buhari’s discrimination, marginalisation and isolation of the Igbos and the people of the South-East, is due to the 100% which the Igbos gave to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar during the elections.
“Today, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is no longer supporting zoning, he wants the contest for the presidency to be thrown open by the PDP. Is this rather not selfish?
“Unless Nigerian politicians are sincere, honest, and transparent, our problems will be with us for a long time. For Alhaji Atiku’s supporters to say that Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister and chief executive of Nigeria from 1957 to 1966 (a period of about nine years), from Bauchi State, North-East Nigeria, was not head of government, is appalling.
“Sir Tafawa Balewa’s position as Prime Minister was the same as that of a Head of State or President of the country. He performed all the duties President Muhammadu Buhari is performing today as President of the country. Therefore, it is ridiculous and a blatant lie to say that the North East has not produced Head of State or President.
“I am, therefore, appealing to the entire leadership of the PDP, particularly the 37-Man Committee, to do the right thing, to avoid anything that will derail and destroy the party, because of personal and self-aggrandizement.
“Our nation today is at a crossroads. Let us do things right to salvage this country.”… continue reading
