PDP Loses Bid To Unseat Amaechi, Kwankwaso Chibuzo Ukaibe, Kunle Olasanmi Leave a comment The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday failed in its bid to unseat governors that decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from their party. Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the suit filed by the PDP in which it sought to sack the four governors who defected from the party. The court, in a ruling that lasted about two hours, held that the service of the suit’s originating processes were invalid. He held that they were wrongly issued and served on the defendants. The PDP had last December sued the governors, including former Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over their defection to the APC. The party begged the court to declare the defecting governors’ seats vacant and also asked the court to order INEC to conduct elections for their replacement. Nyako’s name was removed from the suit shortly after his impeachment. The remaining four are – Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara). The party had, upon an order of court, served the originating processes at a wrong address, which it claimed was the headquarters of the APC. The service was faulted by the defendants, forcing the court to set it aside. Justice Kolawole’s ruling was on the applications filed by Amaechi, Kwankwaso and Ahmed. Why Maku, Obanikoro, Wogu, Chukwu lost primaries Poor grass root base, over dependence on federal backing and incumbency factor have been identified as the major reasons why some of the immediate past ministers in President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet lost the contest for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship tickets in their states. Jonathan had told ministers in his cabinet nursing political ambition to quit before the October 20 deadline as stipulated by their political party, the PDP. He urged them to tender their resignation letters from the cabinet on or before that date, if they did not change their minds. In all, eight ministers had, in the build up to the party primaries, resigned their positions to vie for the party’s ticket in their respective states. They include former minister of state for health from Bauchi State, Mohammed Ali Pate; former minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe (Delta); former minister of state for defence, Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos); former health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi) and former minister of state for education, Nyesom Wike (Rivers). Others are former minister of trade and investment, Samuel Ortom (Benue); former labour minister, Emeka Wogu (Abia); former minister of state for finance, Yerima Lawal Ngama (Yobe); former information minister, Labaran Maku (Nasarawa) and former minister of state for Niger Delta, Darius Ishaku (Taraba). The losing streak for Jonathan’s former ministers started in June when the former minister of police affairs, Caleb Olubolade, who had resigned from the federal executive council long before the October 20 deadline to contest the June 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State, lost to former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose, who clinched the party’s ticket at the primary election held for the election and eventually won the election. Four of the former ministers – Wike, Maku, Ngama and Obanikoro – are from states controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Of all the former ministers, only Wike of Rivers State and Ishiaku of Taraba were able to clinch the PDP governorship tickets at the recently concluded primary election, muscling out other contestants in the state. Findings by LEADERSHIP Weekend reveal that although the politics in the states were distinct, a common thread of lack of grass root support, dependence of “Abuja” connection and last minute manoeuvrings cost the erstwhile ministers their ambitions. In Lagos State, the power tussle that existed between former chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Bode George and Obanikoro, was one of the factors that affected the former minister. Mr. Jimi Agbaje defeated Obanikoro who going into the primaries was regarded as the potential candidate on the assumption that he was more in tune with the rugged politics of the state than Agbaje. Besides that, it was also gathered that some PDP power brokers in the state, decided to go for an aspirant from the Christian faith upon the realisation that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was rooting for a Christian aspirant, Akinwunmi Ambode. A PDP House of Representatives candidate in Lagos, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend in confidence, said, “I was privy to a meeting held at the instance of one of our leaders and there, it was agreed that since the APC was coming up with a Christian candidate, it will be politically expedient for us to also field a Christian.” The candidate further stated that, “in any case, I might not be able to tell you what was responsible for Obanikoro’s loss but I know that Agbaje’s emergence was a reflection of the yearning of the people. Agbaje won because people want him to be there. I can tell you that most people in Obanikoro’s camp eventually voted for Agbaje.” He added, “we looked at someone that can appeal to Christians. APC brought Shasore and later brought Ambode. It became more pertinent that we should bring out a Christian.” He however noted that the public perception about Obanikoro also worked against him. “Lagos already had a technocrat in Fashola so our party was mindful of matching that standard. The truth is that Jimi has more distinct followers than Obanikoro,” he added. In Ebonyi state, while the former minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu enjoyed the backing of the governor, Martin Elechi, it still could not translate to electoral victory for the former minister. While, Chukwu was described by some party loyalists in the state as not recognised as a member of the PDP in the state, he also was a casualty of the power play between Elechi and his predecessor, Sam Egwu, who had aligned with his former political foe, Secretary to the State Government, Anyim Pius Anyim. Chukwu eventually lost to the state deputy governor, David Umahi who polled 541 votes in the primary election. It was however gathered that the APC in Ebonyi State was hesitant to conduct primaries with a view to receiving Elechi, Chukwu and their supporters to its fold. Elechi has however reportedly decamped to Labour Party (LP), alongside his supporters following the outcome of the primary election. In Bauchi State, former health minister, Mohammed Ali Pate, who participated in the exercise, lost to Auwal Jauta. Pate however said no party primary took place in the state and has called on the national headquarters of the party to cancel the exercise, which produced Auwal Jatau as candidate, and conduct a fresh one for fairness and good democratic practice. To underscore his loss, Pate who spoke through the director general of his campaign organisation, Babangida Maijama’a, told journalists in Bauchi that what took place in the state was “a political manoeuvre and intimidation” masterminded by few individuals to satisfy their personal interests.” In Delta State, Orubebe, reportedly relied on the endorsement of the presidency to sail through but lost in the scheme of things as even the incumbent governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, could not save his own anointed aspirant. In Benue State, Ortom, upon sensing that the odds were heavily against him in the party after he lost in the primaries, hurriedly defected to the opposition, APC. Terhemen Tarzoor, who reportedly had the backing of the governor, won the PDP ticket. The situation wasn’t any different in Nasarawa State where Yusuf Agabi polled 214 votes to defeat Maku who got 161 votes. Regarded as a leader of the party in the state as it is under the control of the opposition, Maku in the build up to the primaries was never fully regarded as a grass root politician in the state. A similar situation played out in Yobe state where former minister of state for police affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri defeated immediate past minister of state for finance, Yerima Ngama and two other aspirants. Ngama and the other aspirants have since rejected the outcome of the exercise said to have been held at Legacy House, the campaign office of President Jonathan, in Abuja. The three aspirants, Ngama, Ibrahim Talba and Hassan Kifayos alleged that the exercise fell short of the party’s guidelines as only 21 delegates out of 670 were in attendance, saying the venue of the event, time and names of the delegates that attended were not communicated to them. In the case of former minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu in Abia State, it was a case of alleged promises gone sour. It was alleged that Wogu had assurances from the state governor, Theodore Orji, that he would get the ticket. Moreso, he reportedly relied on his closeness to the presidency to easily clinch the party ticket. But that was not to be as Okezie Ikpeazu, with the firm backing of the governor, polled 487 votes, as against Wogu’s 33. Reacting on its Facebook page on the matter, the ruling party, PDP, argued that the fact that most of President Jonathan’s former key ministers and allies lost the governorship primary elections in their respective states was an attestation of Mr President’s resolve to allow the wishes of the people prevail.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 07:34:46 +0000
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