PDP CAN NOT IMPOSE VP ON JONATHAN — EKWUEME

Dr. Alex Ekwueme
A former Vice-President, Chief Alex Ekwueme, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party, can not impose Vice President on President Goodluck Jonathan, stressing that the ultimate decision on who becomes the next Vice-President, rests with Jonathan.

He said the PDP may make imputs but can not impose a candidate on Jonathan, adding that it was better for the President to choose who he can work with to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

He spoke to journalists in Lagos on Friday at a Nigeria Youth Summit organised by the World Igbo Youth Association.

Reacting to the comment credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo that there was no zoning agreement for 2011 presidential candidate in the PDP, Ekwueme said Obasanjo was not a founding member of the party and so was not conversant with the ideals and agreements of the party during its formation.

He also said that there was no crisis in the PDP, adding that whatever disagreement between some members of the party had been resolved at the last National Executive Council meeting of the party.

He added that he would abide by the decision of the party on the issue of the zoning of presidential candidate in 2011 election.

Ekwueme said, 'We had a very successful NEC meeting. In that meeting, NEC expressed confidence in the Acting President, as he then was, now President and also on the Chairman of the party and his executive committee.

Also confidence was expressed on the members of the National Assembly for the steps they took at the time when there was uncertaintly inn the process of governance of the country. So fas as I am concerned, whatever misunderstanding there was, at least as NEC is concerned, has been resolved.

'I do not wish to comment on what President Obsanjo said or did not say. But you have to situate it in historical context. In other words, you should bear in mind that Obasanjo was not there when we formed the party. I formed the party because I chaired it from the first day until I handed over to Alhaji Solomon Lar.

'Obasanjo only came in when the Peoples Democtratic Movement, PDM, went to commandeer or draft him into the presidential race and he felt that the party was the most effective vehicle for achieving his obective of becoming presdident of the PDP, so he used PDP as a vehicle. He may not be conversant with the antecedent to the formation of the party as to what we agreed or did not agree in July – September 1998.'