[size=15pt] Mass defection from PDP looms in S’East over Zoning[/size]
•You can’t remain where you are not wanted –Ezeife, •Are we still part of this country, Nigeria? –Ikedife •Ohanaeze, S’East Govs under pressure to reject SGF

By Okey Maduforo (Awka)and Emmanuel Nzomiwu (Enugu)

The fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southeast is about to dwindle following the current zoning formula by the leadership of the party which treated the zone with disdain.

High level scheme by elected National Assembly members to dump the party en mass is believed to be brewing.

Sunday Independent gathered that Southeast members of the National Assembly are not particularly happy that their insistence that the post of the Senate President or Speaker Federal House of Representatives be zoned to the area was turned down by the PDP leadership, hence the plot to defect is being contemplated.

Already, collection of signatures from members and top stakeholders of the party for the mass defection was said to be going on just as lobbing was still in progress at some quarters over the possibility of PDP reverting its position.

A member of the National Assembly who would not want his name on print told Sunday Independent: “These people have toyed with us so long and this is a bend or break situation. We mobilised our people, voted for PDP as our party and the only way they can show appreciation is to push us aside, it is not fair. You cannot beat a child and also ask him not to cry. Political party is all about people not name.

“We have started colleting signatures of members who are interested in this project and I can assure you, nobody would be a black leg. We have not decided for now which of the parties that we are going to join but at the appointed time, we will make it public.”

Hints of the planned mass defection is creating a more tensed situation within the ranks of PDP as, according to a source, “it may affect the required majority in the National Assembly for the election of a PDP Senate President or Speaker, House of Representatives in June this year.”

Regardless, indications emerged on Friday that leaders of the Southeast zone are pressuring Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Southeast Governors Forum to reject the position of SGF offered the zone.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo was the only major socio-cultural organisation in the country that openly supported the presidential ambition of Jonathan, while the Southeast Governors endorsed him as the consensus candidate of Ndigbo, even before the PDP primaries.

In the April presidential election, Jonathan who was the PDP candidate, polled 5,090,148 votes in the Southeast, amounting to 22.93 per cent of his total votes and the second highest after the South South zone, where Jonathan hails from.

Reacting to the zoning saga, former Anambra State governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife told Sunday Independent: “It is possible for our brothers and sisters to dump PDP. Yes it can be done. You cannot remain where you are not wanted. The party’s position shows that we in the Southeast are not wanted, so what is our business with the party?

“There is no reason or plausible argument that can be proffered by anybody as to why we do not deserve the post of a Senate President. When Obasanjo was there; a Southerner, we had a Southerner as Senate President. When late Yar’Adua was a president from the North, we had a Northern Senate President, David Mark. Now a Southerner is president, what is wrong in having a Southerner as Senate President?”

Ezeife further dismissed the argument that it is unfair to have a Christian as President and Christian as Senate President.

His words: “We had in the past elected a Muslim presidential and Vice presidential candidates during the late Abiola and Kingibe election, so the idea is backward and unacceptable. We the Igbo are insisting on the post of Senate President and we cannot take anything less than that. The Igbo of today are not the Igbo of yesterday. Things have changed and we cannot be led by the nose anymore.”

Former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, could not help  but describe the arrangement as modern day slavery.

“Are we still part of this country called Nigeria? Where has it happened in this modern age that a race would be subjected to perpetual slavery and we keep quiet in the name of national unity? When has PDP constitution or arrangement become grundnorm of the country’s power sharing system?. If we are given Senate President, heavens will not fall.

“We are law abiding Nigerians and we are not given to taking laws into our hands but justice must be done and be seen to have been done. I congratulate our representatives at the National Assembly for their spirit of comradeship and urge them to remain firm,” Ikedife said.

The duo of Uche Ekwunife representing Anaocha/Dunukofia/Njikoka Federal Constituency and Charles Odedo of Idemili North and South Federal Constituency told Sunday Independent:

“This is our stand and there is no going back. Forty-three of us have spoken and we made it clear that anyone of us that goes against this shall be disowned by us and our people. This is not a party matter but a national issue that affects the people of Nigeria in general and the Southeast in particular and it cannot be compromised at all.”

The reaction of National Vice Chairman, Southeast of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, that the position of the zone is only meant for the national leadership of the party and not for press or public consumption was however described by Dr. Chris Ngige (ACN, Anambra Central Senatorial zone) as a mere digression.

“We were the founding members of PDP and all zoning arrangements were aimed at ensuring fairness and to create a sense of belonging. It is not to kill some people. So the issue of keeping that position secret is not in the best interest of our people. You do not keep people guessing when things are absolutely going wrong,” Ngige said.

But fears are that the demand for Senate President by the Southeast may be bungled following agitations by a group known as Southeast Integrity Forum led by a chieftain of PDP, Ngozi Agudosi who contended that the posts of Secretary to the Government of the Federation and that of Deputy Senate President are the best offer for the zone. “The zoning is not against the Southeast. Those against the arrangement do not have interest of the Southeast at heart. We have had  five Senate Presidents from our zone and what did they attract for our people? Let one of them come out and tell us what they achieved for Ndigbo while they were in office. We had three National Chairmen of PDP, what did they achieve?

“The choice of Senate President is just to enhance private or personal ambition. If Mr. President says SGF; it is an honour done to the Southeast and for the first time in the history of Nigeria that Ndigbo is going to hold that position. So we urge Senator Ike Ekweremadu to brace up and take up the post of Deputy Senate President.”

Sunday Independent reliably gathered that, following the ratification of the new zoning arrangement by the PDP national caucus few days ago, some Igbo leaders had started mounting pressure on Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the governors to reject the position of SGF offered the Southeast.

The aggrieved Igbo leaders not only saw SGF as an insult to the zone but in addition, a stab on the back of Ndigbo by President Jonathan who Ndigbo gave unflinching and unconditional support when the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) wanted to unseat him.

Our findings further revealed that the Igbo leaders, whose names were not mentioned, have made representations to both Ohanaeze leaders and Southeast governors, trying to convince them to reject SGF.

None of the Igbo leaders contacted by Sunday Independent could confirm our findings.

However, those who spoke blamed both Ohanaeze and Southeast Governors Forum for conscripting the entire zone into the Jonathan project without brokering a deal with the President.

Former senate president, Ken Nnamani, who spoke on phone from Washington in United States, sounded cynical over the development, saying, “Our people voted 100 per cent of Jonathan, and why should they be talking about zoning now, as if zoning is still alive.”

Ikedife said the new zoning arrangement of PDP had exposed the folly of Ndigbo, adding that in politics you negotiate first before you take a decision and not the other way round.

Ikedife added: “Some of us were asking, what is the deal? They said we are reluctant supporters, but here we are.

“We shouldn’t have given our support without negotiation. The five governors and Ohanaeze were the people who took us there and said we should support this aspirant and not that aspirant. So, we expect them to come up now and tell us the result. The SGF is nothing, considering the support we have in the election. It is nothing for a zone that gave over five million votes to the winner of the presidential election.”

Ikedife however suggested that the Igbo should come together and talk to themselves and use their tongue to count their teeth and know what next to do, saying, “They should know by now that they are not wanted in this government.”

EzeUche_:

Welcomed news! 

Chyz you continue to be the bringer of good news.

Stand up Igbo politicians and show the Ndigbo that you stand with us.

But fears are that the demand for Senate President by the Southeast may be bungled following agitations by a group known as Southeast Integrity Forum led by a chieftain of PDP, Ngozi Agudosi who contended that the posts of Secretary to the Government of the Federation and that of Deputy Senate President are the best offer for the zone. “The zoning is not against the Southeast. Those against the arrangement do not have interest of the Southeast at heart. We have had five Senate Presidents from our zone and what did they attract for our people? Let one of them come out and tell us what they achieved for Ndigbo while they were in office. We had three National Chairmen of PDP, what did they achieve?

“The choice of Senate President is just to enhance private or personal ambition. If Mr. President says SGF; it is an honour done to the Southeast and for the first time in the history of Nigeria that Ndigbo is going to hold that position. So we urge Senator Ike Ekweremadu to brace up and take up the post of Deputy Senate President.”

ekt_bear:

This made me laugh for some reason. I've never heard of this "Southeast Integrity Forum" before. Is it actually a prominent body? Or just a couple dudes giving their little club a fancy title?

Beaf:

Nobody will defect anywhere, you guys stop allowing people use your heads to break coconuts just to feather their personal ambitions. Why would anybody conclude that GEJ will burn his support base? Elections are over, but the man needs support for a variety of reasons. So why would he burn bridges, would you if you were in his shoes?

It is funny that the very same people that poked fun at the SW are the ones now shouting loudest; it is because they aren't paying attention to two facts. The first being that politicians are lobbying intensely for what they can personally get (you are their unwitting weapon), and the second is that rewards are usually given out of sight (they usually come as roads, ports, opportunities, powerful ministerial posts etc etc).
Why would anyone kill themselves over the speaker position? Of all the 5 SE senate presidents (not even speakers), which of theses have brought tangible FG presence to the region? There is still massive erosion, neglect and fvckup everywhere. Even most of the ND is not as fvcked up as certain parts of the East, but it is not because we have ever had a speaker or senate president, rather it is because of the FG. Those posts can do fvckall.

There is no political colosus in the SE, that is why this ugly state of affairs can exist. That is the where the real problem is, we need people like Chime, Rochas, Ngige etc to rise above local politics and take on the mantle of wider leadership. If not for the leadership void, we wouldn't be hearing of Ohaneze in a tussle for the speaker position, its not their place at all; the fact that they are the main proponents of the SE speaker, while top SE political representatives at zoning meetings have a totally different take, only speaks of the need for a hierachy of giants through whom the peoples interests can be channelled in unity.

It is my prayer that GEJ can help build up a worthy fellow to take on the reigns of SE leadership. It is an urgent task IMHO, that vacuum has been created by years of neglect and needs to be patched.

EzeUche_:

Beaf, you speak for yourself. Your Jonathan is burning a bridge with the South-East even though we gave him a chance. When the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani told him no, we stood by him and lent him our support. Now that he is in power, he thinks he can forget us.

Hell no! We Igbos have suffered way too many insults for our liking. Enough is enough!

We tried to be friends, but it seems that Nigerians only understand force. OBJ is his friend, now let him make his deals with that man.

Plus the silence of 'South-South' politicians makes me angry.

Mtchew!

EzeUche_:

As some one stated:

Terrible injustice, unfairness and unacceptable permutation. Judging from the performance in the election southeast should have the senate president and if they even go down to speaker, they should be praised for understanding. To deny them the speaker again is unacceptable.

Course of action: the senate should reject this manipulation and elect their officers based on merit and justification. It is satanic to give the position of the speaker to the southwest wih less than 6 house members. We failed to learn that Obj has been rejected in our political scene and it is only the PDP that still make him relevant.

They should keep him there for as far as Nigerian is concerned he has been consigned into history. If GEJ wants to succeed and leave any form of legacy behind, he should reject any counsel from Obj. Let fairness, justice and equity prevail in all our dealings and the peace of God will be our national portion. God bless Nigeria.

Chyz*:

With the likes of OBJ around, it only makes things worst for him.


“We were the founding members of PDP and all zoning arrangements were aimed at ensuring fairness and to create a sense of belonging. It is not to kill some people. So the issue of keeping that position secret is not in the best interest of our people. You do not keep people guessing when things are absolutely going wrong,” Ngige said.

Beaf:

Dude, nothing is going wrong. [b]SE representatives at PDP meetings are absolutely not campaigning for the speaker position, that fight seems to be led by Ohaneze which has no representation within PDP, but is powerful to the man on the street. Like I pointed out, there is a gap in political leadership. The SE needs a giant through whom they can channel their needs, so confusion like this never arises again.

Chyz*:

@bolded, re-read the article. As for ohanaeze, they can shove it. The Igbos can work with GJ from APGA. They do not need to be in PDP to get things done. The center(PDP) needs to be weakened as much as possible anyways.

Beaf:

They are simply lobbying. I can assure you that the threat is as empty as the one from the NE. The NE threatened to use the overwhelming Northern NASS numbers to award themselves the Senate presidency, but they have since calmed down.
Individual politicians are jockeying for their pockets, there is no need for the common man to carry their problems and sweat blood for them when there will be no personal gain.

Beaf:

^
Nah, a regional party isn't the way to go or you leave yourselves at the mercy of outsiders from national parties.
I'm sure there's a lot of great stuff coming the SE's way in the next 4 years. Its all about coming in from the cold and matching forward with natural political alliances.

Beaf:

^
Nah, [b]a regional party [/b]isn't the way to go or you leave yourselves at the mercy of outsiders from national parties.
I'm sure there's a lot of great stuff coming the SE's way in the next 4 years. Its all about coming in from the cold and matching forward with natural political alliances.

EzeUche_: