Nigerian Interim President Goodluck Jonathan of the Niger Delta has been selected by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to run for national office in the upcoming elections.
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PDP grants Jonathan four more years, disowns Atiku
Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
Nigeria Punch
The Peoples Democratic Party has said that President Goodluck Jonathan will spend another four years in office to enable him complete the joint ticket with the late president, Alhaji Umaru Yar‘Adua.
This was part of the resolutions of the meeting of the party‘s National Executive Committee which was held on Thursday in Abuja. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Friday, however said the party would not short its doors against any other aspirants who are interested in the race.
He said, ”NEC took time to review the origin and essence of the zoning principle as enshrined in the PDP Constitution. In view of historical antecedents and contemporary realities and in order to ensure justice, equity and fairness, NEC unanimously endorsed the retention of the zoning principle in the PDP Constitution.
”NEC also observed that President Goodluck Jonathan is serving out the first four-year term of the joint ticket with late President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua and therefore has the right to contest for the remaining four-year term of their joint ticket in 2011. NEC, however, resolved that this will not, of course, exclude any other Nigerian from any part of the country from contesting the presidential primaries for the 2011 general election.”
On why the party suspended the online registration, which was started on Monday, Rufai said it was due to the fact that the 2011 election was already around the corner. He said the NEC has agreed that the exercise be suspended till after the election.
”In view of time constraints and pressures anticipated from the forthcoming voter registration exercise, party primaries and the forthcoming general election, NEC resolved to put on hold the exercise and resume fully after the general election in 2011,” he added. NEC, he added, also considered proposals for a special National Convention to amend sections of the PDP constitution.
He, however, added that the Programme for the Mid-Term Conference and Special Convention of the party would be outlined after the new Electoral Act had been accented to by the President.
He also said the NEC considered the need to review some sections of the party constitution and align it with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act. These sections included Article 12.17, Article 12.40 and Article12.84 which confer the status of automatic delegates on ministers, ambassadors, chairmen of boards, commissioners, special advisors and special assistants to party congresses and national conventions were recommended for deleting.
Also, with just one day to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar‘s formal declaration of his intention to run for presidency in 2011, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, the leadership of the party has said the former Vice President is not yet known in the party.
Atiku claimed, in a statement released from his media campaign office, that he was entitled to a waiver, as recommended by the PDP National Reconciliation Committee led by Dr. Alex Ekwueme. But the party‘s leadership said although he had come to the party‘s headquarters where he told the party‘s National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and members of the PDP National Working Committee that he had returned to the party with his supporters, he was yet to be fully reintegrated into the party.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Rufai Alkali, stated this in Abuja on Friday while responding to questions from journalists who noticed that the name of Atiku was not on the list of those granted waivers by the NEC on Thursday.
Rufai said, ”You will recall that the former vice president came in to this secretariat and formally told the leadership of the party that he was returning to the party with all his supporters nationwide.
”He indeed brought a document showing the names of the people who came along with him and signed the document and said they were returning unconditionally.
”I am sure you also recall that when he left, we invited you to come and see the former national chairman so that he could tell you why Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came into his office, and the chairman, I recall, informed you that the former vice president came into the secretariat to say that he had returned to the party formally with all his supporters.
”But the Chairman asked him to go back to his ward and register because that is the elementary thing, and then the process can start from there because, as he said, the party cannot reject any person coming back to the party.
”No party worth its salt can do that. But what the former national chairman said, and that is the position of the party, is that we do not have card here to give to members. So, he was asked to go back.
Which means what was said in effect was Atiku Abubakar will go back and continue with the process of healing and reconciliation, a kind of fence mending with him and all the stakeholders in Adamawa State.
And since that time, there have been formal consultations and discussions between him and stakeholders in Adamawa state, and the Adamawa people too came to the secretariat and the rest of it.”
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