As continued grievances in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) heightens with feelings of a possible mass defection, the party has approved automatic tickets for all its governors seeking second terms in office.
According to findings by Huhuonline.com, the party had earlier insisted that there would not be automatic tickets for the governors and aspirants to other offices apart from the office of the President for which President Goodluck Jonathan was endorsed.
This decision had unsettled office holders in the party especially governors just serving one term.
Sensing that the grievance could boomerang, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) had gone ahead on Wednesday to ratify its constitution and manifesto to accommodate and grant waivers to likely defectors.
A top PDP member in Lagos State, told Huhuonline.com that his party’s action of endorsing first term governors was to forestall possible defection especially at a period when they desperately needed to rally round President Jonathan.
“We discovered it was a sensitive situation. This is the time we need to rally round Jonathan. Thus, any mistake from the party hierarchy would spell doom for our chances in 2015. This was why we decided to carry the first term governors along in the scheme,” the PDP chieftain, who pleaded for anonymity, said.
While Governor Ibrahim Dakwambo of Gombe State is the only governor seeking a second term in office, the trio of Kaduna, Taraba and Adamawa States governors are seeking re-election because they are just completing terms started by other people.
According to Adamu Mu’azu, the PDP National Chairman who spoke as Jonathan collected his form on Thursday, the party leadership had decided to give automatic tickets to state governors running for second term, especially where they have performed creditably. He added that these governors would be given the right of first refusal.
On his part, Jonathan promised that he would continue to work with them to move the country forward adding that no matter how strong a President is across the world, he remains just an individual who could do nothing except with support.
“For you to succeed, you work with people; so if you are succeeding that means we have a team that is working to transform this country. So I will work with all Nigerians to make sure that we move our country to the next level,” the president said while calling Nigeria a great country as demonstrated in the collective handling of the Ebola case with the whole world being happy with Nigeria.
While thanking Nigerians and reassuring that his administration would not let the people down, he expressed gratitude to the PDP leadership for giving him the right of first refusal.
“First let me thank God for today and Nigerians that are here today for this brief ceremony. Let me thank the leadership and all members of our party for believing in me and for giving me the right of first refusal.
The president also thanked the PDP Governors’ Forum for providing the N22 million for purchasing the nomination and expression of interest forms for the election as well as members of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and other Nigerians for their contributions towards the purchase of the forms.
