By HENRY UMORU, Assistant Political Editor
4, 224 persons are expected to converge for the event out of which 3,074 form the number of delegates who will vote, 300 as observers; 700 Convention planning Committee members and 150 representing the media.
Delegates breakdown
A breakdown of the 3,074 delegates shows: Abia, 63; Adamawa, 111; Akwa Ibom, 145; Anambra, 68; Bauchi, 90; Bayelsa, 71; Benue, 112; Borno, 48; CrossRiver, 102; Delta, 131; Ebonyi, 84; Edo, 67; Ekiti, 50; Enugu, 107; Gombe, 74; Imo, 111; Jigawa, 131; Kaduna, 90; Kano, 107; Katsina, 139; Kebbi, 102; Kogi, 102; and Kwara, 41.
Others are Lagos, 51; Nasarawa, 64; Niger, 94; Ogun, 61; Ondo, 81; Osun, 68; Oyo, 91; Plateau, 89; Rivers, 72; Sokoto, 60; Taraba, 91; Yobe, 24; Zamfara, 55 and FCT, 27.
In line with Part X of the Constitution of PDP 2012 as Amended, those to form the 3,074 Delegates today are the President; the Vice President; PDP members at the National Assembly; State Governors and Deputies; all Gubernatorial candidates who shall be automatic delegates; members of the State Houses of Assembly; Members of the Zonal and State Party Chairman and Secretaries, including those of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; State Women and Youth Leaders, including those of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Party Chairmen of the Local Government Areas; all elected Local Government Area Council Chairmen; Former members of National Working Committee and National Vice Chairmen; former Senate Presidents and Deputy Presidents; former Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives and other principal officers of the National Assembly.
Why the national convention?
As a prelude to today’s National Convention and in line with the party’s 2014 guidelines and the Electoral Act, delegates formally voted and ratified the appointment of PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo and the National Auditor, Adewale Adeyanju yesterday, to enable them perform effectively in their various positions.
Muazu who took over from the former National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was appointed in January this year by the National Executive Committee, NEC at its 64th meeting and would need to be affirmed at the party’s National Convention, same applies to Adeyanju who took over from Bode Mustapha and Oladipo who replaced the former National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who came in through the March, 2012 National Convention.
Road to coronation
The road to the coronation of the president as the candidate of the party began early in 2013 when the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih started a campaign to have Jonathan returned as candidate on the assumption that such was the vogue in advanced democracies where incumbents are normally given the right of first refusal.
Chief Anenih had said, “I do not see anything wrong, if he PDP considers automatic tickets for the President and its governors who have performed well and are seeking for a second term. Anenih’s statement triggered a momentum that was only recently stopped after incisive reports including Vanguard’s that the right of first refusal as portrayed was a fathom in democracies as it was shown that all incumbent presidents in the United States in modern history passed through internal challenges in their parties.
The opposition
The journey, was, however, not smooth as it was not devoid of serious criticisms from some very powerful persons from the “North” who vehemently opposed Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambition.
Still as part of the stiff opposition, there was a major earthquake in PDP on Tuesday, November 27, 2013 when five governors out of the seven who formed what was tagged the new PDP dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, APC. The action of the governors was a carryover from the August, 2013 walkout by six of the governors from the August 31 Special National Convention at the Eagle Square. The governors were joined by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in staging the walkout from the party’s convention after Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State was stopped from attending the convention.
New PDP
The governors who formed the ‘New PDP’ were Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto; Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; and former Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa. Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State who was under suspension from the PDP then, immediately joined the ‘New PDP’. While others joined the APC, governors Lamido and Aliyu did not leave the PDP.
The script for Jonathan to be returned unopposed was fully played out on September 18, 2014 at the 66th NEC meeting when Jonathan was endorsed as the party’s sole Presidential candidate to be ratified today ahead of 2015 Presidential election.
According to NEC, the move became imperative because no serious party would change a winning team led by President Jonathan who has performed with his transformation agenda and has also changed the face and well being of Nigerians.
PDP-GF, BoT, NWC endorsements
Before then, governors elected on the platform of PDP, members of the National Assembly, the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT; National Caucus and the State Chairmen had announced their endorsement of the president. Chairman, PDP Governors Forum and governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Godswill Akpabio who spoke with journalists at the end of the NEC meeting noted that the decision to make Jonathan their sole candidate was not challenged by any of the governors that attended the meeting.
At that NEC meeting, Governor Aliyu of Niger State who is also chairman, Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, spoke on behalf of all the PDP governors. There was, however, a mild drama when Aliyu, in an attempt to convince NEC that the decision was unanimous, asked Governor Lamido who had been severally alleged to have his own presidential ambition to bear witness. Lamido, who sat directly opposite the president, stood up, looked directly at Jonathan, smiled and did a thumbs-up without uttering a word. The hall burst into a thunderous ovation in celebration of Lamido’s seeming acceptance of Jonathan’s candidature with shouts of ‘PDP, PDP’.
Former Deputy National Chairman of the party and a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun spoke for BoT members; president of the Senate, Senator David Mark spoke for the National Assembly and Ambassador Justina Eze spoke for PDP women.
Soon after they spoke, former Acting National Chairman of PDP and past Minister of Defence, Dr. Haliru Mohammed Bello moved a motion to give the endorsement legal backing.
Former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo seconded the motion.
Soon after Chief Nwobodo seconded the motion, the PDP National chairman, Mu’azu put it to vote and members of NEC unanimously adopted it without any dissenting voice.
It was a unique development in the PDP since its inception that a decision would be taken that a sitting president be given the right of first refusal against the backdrop that in the past, the race was always thrown open, even if it was almost always stacked against challengers.
Tafawa-Balewa, Duke Abiola’s spanner
Though the party had endorsed President Jonathan as its sole candidate, there were last minute efforts by two others presidential aspirants who signified their interests to contest, but by political permutations, they were not strong contenders within the PDP that could bother the leadership or key stakeholders.
The two aspirants were the son of Nigeria’s late prime minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr Abdul Jelil and wife of late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, Prof. Akasoba Duke- Abiola.
Initially they were denied forms against the backdrop that only one presidential form was printed for Jonathan but threats of dragging the PDP to court by Tafawa Balewa forced the leadership of the party to do otherwise in printing more forms for the others.
In reversing himself, party spokesman, Olisa Metuh, urged all those who paid for the Expression of Interest and nomination forms which include that of the president should visit the party’s National Secretariat to pick the forms.
Only Dr. Abdul Jelil Tafawa Balewa collected the forms, came for the screening but later dropped from the race.
Weeks after the close of submission of forms and screening, Mrs Abiola last Tuesday came up with yet another protest that she was denied the opportunity of contesting.
Echoes of the complaint by Mrs. Abiola would, however, continue to becloud the process initiated by Anenih that was seen as giving a different interpretation to democracy by the PDP.
