Ahead of next month’s general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP conducted its primaries last year to field candidates for the election based on the guidelines and timetable provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The PDP primaries may have come and gone, but their memories will linger for a very a long time especially against the backdrop of the performance of Jonathan’s men who resigned to contest. Many of them, at the end of the day, came out wounded, some humiliated, defeated while some won with the support of some powerful connection and influence.
One very interesting aspect of the primaries was the mass resignation of Ministers, Special Advisers and Special Assistants, those that could be described as the President’s men who left the cabinet to contest for the governorship position in their respective states. Following the tendering of letters of resignation, the Ministers decided to test their popularity in their various states, by contesting the governorship primaries on the platform of PDP.
Many overrated themselves and some possibly had the notion that their states belonged to them. There were those who felt that the name of President Jonathan rang enough bell to earn them tickets. They believed in the powers of the Presidency to do and undo. They relied on President Jonathan. Having served the President well, it became a seeming statutory right to emerge governors in their states.
If a minister in a President’s cabinet resigned to contest for a higher political office, the conclusion was that such ambition must naturally enjoy the President’s support and approval, after all they were President’s men.
They enjoyed the blaring of siren each time they visited their States and had become not only special but also high class people in their states. Again, as top government officials money was not going to be the problem.
Labaran Maku resigned from his position as Minister of Information for the Nasarawa Governorship race; Emeka Wogu resigned from the Labour and Productivity Ministry for the Abia race; Musiliu Obanikoro resigned as Minister of State, Defence to contest for the Lagos State governorship ticket; Nyesom Wike left his office as Minister of State, Education for the Rivers State governorship race; Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu resigned as Minister of Health for the Ebonyi race; Dr. Samuel Ortom resigned as Minister of State, Trade and Investment for the Benue State governorship race; Darius Ishaku resigned as Minister of State, Niger Delta to contest the Taraba State Governorship position and Elder Godsday Orubebe resigned to contest for the Delta State governorship ticket.
Besides the Ministers who resigned, there were also Special Advisers, Special Assistants, heads of parastatals like the Federal Character Commission, FCC, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, among others.
As aspirants commenced campaigns ahead of the primaries and because of the strength of the office of the president, many aspirants dropped his name as they went along in their respective states, telling those who cared to listen that they enjoyed the support of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The President’s men thought they had all what was required to navigate the murky waters of Nigerian politics, having worked at the federal level, with the President and attending Federal Executive Council meetings. They represented President Jonathan through their ministries.
The Ministers had also concluded that the mere mention of the President’s name or the mere thought that they worked with the leader of the party, would be enough to frighten and scare away other contestants.
At worse, even if they lost, the President may influence the outcome in their favour, after all, they all sought his approval to quit the cabinet in pursuit of more juicy political package. They either got it wrong or were wronged by the system they had served doggedly.
Yes, some suffered protest votes and what irked those who resented them was their association with the Presidency and the perceived arrogance even if there was non. And the man they expected to help them looked the other way, especially in keeping with democratic principles.
The ministers had possibly dreamt of the past where a sitting president would impose candidates on the people in various states without allowing such persons test how popular they were.
But as it turned out, President Jonathan appeared too busy to put a word cross to the handlers of the primaries in various states or force other contenders to drop their dreams. But there alleged cases where his kinsmen ensured the emergence of the President’s favoured candidates.
However, they remain allegations even as eyebrows are being raised on Rivers, Taraba and one or two other states. The leadership of the party was accused of having taken side with some like in Akwa Ibom following its quick endorsement of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s zoning arrangement, that of Adamawa, among others. In Delta, the President’s kinsmen had their candidate.
But what picture does the President’s non interference in many other cases where his men failed paint? Is it a case of being a true democrat, leader and father to all?
During campaigns, former Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku who was so optimistic of getting the PDP ticket for the Nasarawa governorship race even boasted after he appeared before the PDP governorship screening committee at the Legacy House, Abuja that his DNA was PDP.
Said he: “I believe in the party, I believe that people should be in the party as a matter of ideology and principles.
“Political parties are not just platforms for elections, they are philosophical foundations for the construction of our own democratic infrastructure.
“As for me even if you test my DNA, it is PDP. I’ am saying so because recently some of my opponents who are so afraid of me in Nasarawa State, who are scared of my popularity in the party, who are scared of my grassroots followership made my posters under APC, they even designed some billboards under APC and claimed that I have left PDP. “The reason was because when we were rebuilding the party they left to other parties, when they came back the party was solid and we were everywhere.
“I’ am very confident because it has been years of hard work, years of loyalty to the party, since 1999. I have served this party in different capacities. I was commissioner of information, deputy governor. I contested for the seat in 2007. Somehow, I did not leave the party like some others who migrated to other parties looking for platforms to contest.
“I am bringing an experience beginning from student unionism to journalism, a development agent before going into politics where I served as a commissioner, deputy governor and a minister. If I go there I will be the unifying force, I will bring development to my people using my wealth of experience that I have gathered throughout these years of service to the nation. So I am ready to change my state.”
After much political intrigues, manoeuvring, backstabbing, permutations, the President’s men lost out in the race of picking the governorship ticket of their states. Even Maku whose performance as minister of information was a shining light for the Presidency failed to enjoy the support of the same Presidency even if you may not attribute his failure to that.
Except for former Minister of State, Education and former Minister of State, Niger Delta, Nyesom Wike and Darius Ishyaku who emerged respectively as Rivers and Taraba Candidates, other ministers like Labaran Maku; Emeka Wogu, Musiliu Obanikoro; Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; Samuel Ortom; Prof. Sylvester Monye, among others failed to get tickets.
At the end of the PDP gubernatorial primaries, the following persons emerged. Akwa – Ibom – Udom Emmanuel; Lagos – Jimi Agbaje; Adamawa – Nuhu Ribadu; Enugu – Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Jigawa – Aminu Ringim; Oyo – Teslim Folarin; Cross River – Benedict Ayade; Kaduna – Muktar Yero; Gombe – Ibrahim Dankwambo; Rivers – Nyesom Wike; Delta – Ifeanyi Okowa; Abia – Okezie Ikpeazu; Nasarawa – Yusuf Agabi; Plateau – Gyang Pwajok; Niger – Umar Nasko; Benue – Terhemen Terzoor; Imo – Emeka Ihedioha; and Ebonyi – Dave Umahi.
Others were Auwal Jatau for Bauchi; Senator Abdallah Wali for Sokoto State; Salihu Sagir Takai for Kano; Adamu Maina Waziri for Yobe; Gambo Lawan for Borno; Engr. Musa Nashuni for Katsina; Darius Ishaku for Taraba State, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi who was defeated during the 2011 election became the candidate of the party for Zamfara State, among others.
Wike and Ishaku got theirs because of the support from first lady Patience Jonathan and former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma respectively.
Aside the governorship race, some of Jonathan’s men who were very loyal and still loyal like governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State who had wanted to come to the Senate to represent Delta South; Sullivan Chime of Enugu; Martins Elechi of Ebonyi, all with senatorial ambitions lost out. Uduaghan did not contest as he withdrew few days to the election allegedly on the advice of Mr. President who wanted his fellow Ijaw man James Manager to continue after 16 years as senator. The emergence of Ifeanyi Okowo also had the Ijaw touch although huge credit should go to Uduaghan for providing a level playing field. Ijaw man is Okowa’s running mate and PDP appears to be united in Delta although some candidates believed to be loyal to Uduaghan are being substituted by those they defeated in the primaries. Will they defect too? Will APC gain from this?
That’s for DeltaJust as Senate Majority Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma- Egba; Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Solomon Ita Enang, Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Helen Esuene, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri representing Bayelsa West, among others lost out. Manager is tipped to replace Victor Ndoma-Egba as Majority Leader in the Senate. Presidential power, you may say but he and few others who enjoyed such support also played their game well. And why did others fail?
Was it an indication that the Ministers were merely Abuja politicians, even though Ortom and Maku have dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA respectively as their governorship candidates for next month’s election? Maku has succeeded in flushing out his PDP DNA now and having that of APGA. May be after the election, he would then have a combination of both.
Why the abysmal performance of Jonathan’s men at the primaries? Could it be an indication that he left them to be on their own or was it that he worked against them and what with those who suffered protest votes as associates of the President?
These were those who were believed to parade their association with the President as their only quality and suffered protest votes. Wike in Rivers would have suffered same but for the doggedness of his team coupled with the intimidating support of Patience Jonathan who was allegedly quoted as vowing that Wike would emerge the next governor of Rivers State. So what happened to the other President’s men? What does their failure portend to the party in next month’s election? Would it have an implication on President Jonathan’s re- election bid? Will those who lost out still remain committed to the victory of the president?
Saturday Vanguard sought to know from PDP leaders, Stakeholders on the implication of Jonathan’s men losing at the primaries as the party begins campaigns ahead of next month’s general elections and here are their comments.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh noted that their failure to get the tickets will not affect the President’s re- election bid.
He said that some of them like Obanikoro are powerful in their states which explained why the PDP would want them to remain.
Also in his contribution, former Edo State governor, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor said, ” This is a direct consequence of the internal contradictions and manipulations which characterised the primaries generally. I believe that those who lost out know that President Jonathan was not responsible for what happened to them and have no reason to get back at him by working against his reelection.”
In his remarks, former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Rowland Owie, said, “No implications at all for Jonathan’s re-election. The problem with most appointees to the Executive arms at the federal and state levels,is that as soon as they assume duties, they lose touch at the grassroots, to fulfill the destructive parable of ” A FRIEND IN GOVERNMENT, IS A FRIEND LOST”
“They no longer get in touch with the local leaders and those who worked for the party to win the elections on which basis they got the appointments. Such appointees certainly can’t win party primaries. However there are good ones who maintain good relationship with their constituents and when such seek elective positions, they will surely get through. In addition the failure of such Aides of the President at various party primaries, go to show that Mr. President does not interfere with party primaries.”
Also reacting, the Political Adviser to Vice President Namadi Sambo, Mallam Abba Dabo who noted that it will not have any negative effect on the party because they did not lose to other parties, said that what happened was a true democratic process, an indication that the President never wanted to interfere in the election process as against the wishes of the people, adding, “Contest in PDP is very keen, people think that as a minister, once you come out, the deal is sealed, it is not true, the party is democratic, everyone can win, we had an array of contestants. In other smaller parties, once you come out to contest, you become a colossus, it is not the same in PDP. PDP allowed both the Ministers and non ministers to come out and contest.”
In his contribution, former Minister of Transport and member, PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Ebenezer Babatope said, “Not at all, it will not have any effect on President Goodluck Jonathan’s re- election bid. What happened to them was that he did not lift his hand to influence the process, he did not influence the decision of the electorate; it is a plus for the president, what happened boosted the image of Jonathan as did not interfere in the choice of the people.”
But there are party faithful who are not comfortable that many of those who remained loyal to the President and were known to have played tremendous roles in serving the party were schemed out or outplayed in the primaries.
“You can’t ignore the influence of some people who will not likely to be committed to the Presidential election any more,” one PDP party faithful said. For the fear of being tagged anti party he preferred anonymity. Same with a party chieftain who spoke from Enugu. Said he: “There’s no way this crash by President’s loyalists will not reflect in the election results. It will not make Jonathan lose but he will surely lose some votes.”
Many in the opposition parties feel that the crash of President’s men will be to their advantage. Even a sitting governor has moved his loyalists to another party in Ebonyi State.
Also contributing, former Member, House of Representatives, and Executive Secretary, Anti- Corruption Network, Otunba Dino Melaye said, “Nine Ministers have resigned from Jonathan’s cabinet to contest political offices primaries. (Nyesom) Wike (Rivers PDP governorship candidate) bulldozed to win. Seven Ministers lost their primaries. That is the pronouncement of the disenchantment of Nigerians against the government of Jonathan. The PDP is a Trojan Horse, Nigeria is in the Intensive Care Unit, Nigeria is in the Hospital. The time for our rejuvenation is now. General Muhammadu Buhari is the only answer, antidote and remedy to corruption.”
In his contribution, a member of the 2014 National Conference and Executive Director, Human Rights Monitor, Barrister Festus Okoye said, “Different considerations other than the political travails of some of the Ministers and Special Advisers will determine the outcome of the 2015 elections. Some of the Ministers had no concrete base in their states and relied on Federal might. Unfortunately for some of them domestic realities played a major role in their defeat. Barring electoral fraud and Violence , Religion,ethnicity, money, inc**bency and performance will determine the outcome of the 2015 elections.”
In his contribution, former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife who described the primaries conducted as imposition by those he described as cabal in the system, stressed merit, success and ability were thrown out, just as he said that the Ministers went to conduct the primaries and the people told them how they a****s them, adding that the defeat of the Ministers during the primaries would not have any connection with the President’s re- election.
He said, ” we are not doing democracy, I will talk on this after the election. I have always spoken in support of a two party system. A cabal is bringing out people instead of the people doing that. Only direct primary election is the way forward. What we have now is imposition by a cabal and not democracy. APC does not do direct primary, PDP does not do direct primary, you must select candidates on the opinion of the people and not on persons.
“In Ebonyi, the Minister of Health who fought Ebola with international recognition and who ought to have won the primaries was not given, merit does not count, success does not count, ability does not count, only who supports you. “
Vanguard
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