PDP Governors Meet With Jonathan Over Cancellation Of Endorsement Today

                     

File Photo: Pro-Jonathan state governors, addressing the media after presenting their factional chairman. From left, Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Goodswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Liyel Imoke (Cross River); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), factional Vice Chairman; and Jonah Jang (Plateau), factional chairman.

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP will today meet with President Goodluck Jonathan to express their displeasure over nullification by the National Working Committee, NWC of their consensus endorsement of their candidates ahead of 2015 general elections and their own candidature.

A very reliable source at the Secretariat of the Governor Godswill Akpabio-led PDP Governors Forum told Vanguard that some governors were already in Abuja for the meeting slated for 9 pm today at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.

According to the source, the PDP governors will first meet with the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu at 3pm at his Asokoro residence.

The source told Vanguard that the agenda of the meeting is the proposed primary elections for aspirants of the party as well as inform the National Chairman that they were not happy with the decision of the NWC to cancel their endorsements.

Since the PDP announced the cancellation of all endorsement by the governors, zonal and state leadership, there has been a cold war between the outgoing governors who want to pick their successors as they leave office and the NWC.

The governors at the meeting, the source said, will remind the president and Muazu of how they endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of PDP ahead of the December 6 National Convention and the February, 2015 general elections, which the party’s National Caucus, Board of Trustees, BoT and the National Executive Committee, NEC thereafter agreed with and to be ratified at the party’s national convention.

The governors, the source said will also discuss the on-going sale of forms, especially with regard to the governorship forms being obtained at the party’s National Secretariat. It was gathered that the governors will urge the President and the National Chairman to allow them choose their preferred candidates, having endorsed President Jonathan.

Meanwhile, following the cancellation of endorsement, many aspirants have come to PDP National Secretariat to pick their expression and nomination forms, just as they are calling for open primaries and a level playing field for all aspirants.

A statement signed on Thursday by PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo read, “The National Working Committee (NWC) at its meeting today, Thursday, October 9, 2014 noted that some elected officers of our great party at the state level have continued to engage in processes aimed at endorsing candidates for the 2015 general elections despite warnings from the national leadership that they, as unbiased umpires should not involved in such.

“The NWC strongly frowns at this development and issues this as a final warning to all elected party officials and chapters at all levels, and shall not hesitate to sanction such erring officers or chapters.

“The sanctity of our nomination processes must be protected at all times. We therefore wish to assure all party members that there shall be a level playing ground for all aspirants intending to participate in the nomination processes.