“28 GOVS THREATEN TO QUIT PDP”, “PDP GOVS SHOUT DOWN NWODO AT NEC MEETING”, “PDP IS A JUNGLE – NNAMANI, NYAKO AND OTHERS”, “PDP NEC MEETING BREAKS UP IN CHAOS” – WE SINCERELY APPEAL TO PRESIDENT JONATHAN NOT ALLOW HIS UNPRINCIPLED AMBITION TO DISINTEGRAT
All the above quotes are some of the headline captions of some of the National Dailies portraying and projecting the immediate disintegration and implosion of PDP if no urgent step is taken to arrest the drift occasioned by the refusal of President Jonathan to adhere to the constitution of the party on zoning and supported by the ruling of a competent High Court of Nigeria as contained in Article 7 subsection 2c (“In pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness of the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels”) .
The fact remains that apart from General Olusegun Obasanjo who was released from prison to became the President of Nigeria; if there is any other human being that PDP has being fair and favourable to that person is President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, from an Asst Director of Fisheries in OMPADEC and without lobbying, campaigning or contesting any election became a Deputy Governor and without contesting or campaigning again became a Governor of Bayelsa State and without lobbying was nominated and became Vice President and President of Nigeria. If the current wrangling and confusion in the party is anything to go by we can be bold to also conclude that if there is any Nigerian that has been most ungrateful to the party that has done all these to that fellow is President Jonathan by signing and supporting Zoning in 2002 and due to self centered ambition decided to go against the party's constitution he pledged to upheld on the area of zoning by 2010 thereby causing the present wrangling and confusion within the party. The consequences of such a move are the current disintegration facing the party.
Today after all the inputs and contributions by our Governors in building and strengthening the party to what it is they are threatening to quit the party. Today, under the watch of President Jonathan, IBB and other chieftains of the party are threatening to quit the party they labored and gave everything to build because of the untoward and unwise ambition of one single man. Today the party established by Chief Alex Ekwueme and other great Nigerians in the principle of equity, fair-play and justice is now described as a jungle party by most of its key actors still under the watch of President Jonathan! Today after the well advertised 54th NEC meeting of the party and due to undemocratic under current activities of some elements within the party to reverse what was earlier agreed upon on the sequences of the conduct of primaries the meeting could only last for five minutes, what a shame!
In consideration of the obvious grieve consequences of all these faulty steps, we will like to appeal to President Jonathan to consider the much he has benefited from PDP and allow common sense to prevail so that his acts and actions doesn't lead to awful fate that awaits the party in the 2011 general election should he continue to push his candidature against the principle and constitution of the party. Let the threat by the Governors in the party to quit the party guide him in this regard if the threat by IBB and others to quit the party doesn't make any meaning to him. A word is enough for the wise!
Nigerians and the International Community not minding the above gloomy picture should heave a sigh of relief as with the adoption of Atiku Abubakar as the consensus PDP Candidate by all segments of Nigeria today at Abuja; we are convinced that the pranks and efforts of President Jonathan and his cohorts to cause disaffection among our great party will surely be arrested no matter the odds.
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
National Director,
Directorate of Media & Public Affairs of Turaki Vanguard