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2019: Fresh Trouble For Atiku In Southeast by alfanio(m): 3:41pm On Oct 21, 2018 |
•Ekweremadu, governors weigh options
•Why S/East leaders are angry
•Saraki wades in, holds talks with Ekweremadu
Southeast political leaders are accusing the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of reneging on some pre-
convention agreements reached with him.
And this is the cause of the bad blood generated in
the zone by Atiku’s choice of former Anambra State
governor Peter Obi as running mate for the 2019
election, The Nation can now report.
Particularly irked by the alleged renege are Deputy
Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and some
governors in the zone, sources said yesterday.
Associates of the Deputy Senate President and
some PDP leaders in the Southeast are already
putting pressure on Ekweremadu to review his
status in the party.
His options are to defect from the party or remain in
PDP to fight for survival.
The alleged agreements include consultation with
Southeast leaders on how to pick vice presidential
candidate; consensus on other positions conceded
to the zone; finding a meeting point with the zone on
Atiku’s idea of restructuring; need to spend one
term in office and cede power to the Southeast in
2023; the offer of the VP slot to Ekweremadu (Right
of First Refusal) before any other candidate.
Atiku had allegedly offered Ekweremadu the vice
presidential slot a year ago.
Sources said the Deputy Senate President’s
response had always been: “let us get the ticket
first. I am interested in the Southeast being in the
mainstream of power equation in Nigeria.”
As the PDP Port Harcourt convention approached,
majority of the Southeast leaders in PDP were
determined to work for Atiku, hence their decision to
shun overtures from Governor Nyesom Wike of
Rivers State to team up with Sokoto State Governor
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
It was gathered that a few days before the
convention, Ekweremadu and some Southeast
governors shunned all the meetings convened by
Wike.
Within a week of Atiku’s emergence as PDP
presidential candidate, he named Obi as running
mate, causing bad blood in some political quarters
in the zone.
The first salvo was fired by Ebonyi State Governor
David Umahi who said Obi’s choice was made
without consultation with leaders of the zone,
although he was quick to add that he has nothing
personally against Obi.
Obi himself has since launched a mission to douse
the tension, moving round the zone to talk to those
that matter.
But sources said the issue has continued to be a
source of worry for Atiku in the Southeast.
“All our leaders have no grudges against Obi but
they are just unhappy about how Atiku reneged on
some of the agreements reached with him
especially the essence of carrying stakeholders
along,” a well- placed source said yesterday.
“Shortly after he emerged as the PDP candidate, he
has stopped consulting Ekweremadu, Southeast
governors and leaders.
“The painful thing is that he bowed to pressure from
outside the Southeast to pick Obi and he did not
care to revert to these leaders and governors on his
choice.
“For instance, Ekweremadu (the highest ranking
political office holder in the Southeast) was not
briefed and has not been briefed till today on why
Obi was picked.
“Yet, it was Ekweremadu who coordinated and
delivered the block votes from the Southeast to
Atiku at the convention.
“The assumption is that if Atiku can treat South-
East leaders and governors in this manner as a
candidate, what if he becomes the President. It is
just a matter of trust. When in need, he offered
Ekweremadu the position of running mate. Courtesy
demands that he should have also confided in
Ekweremadu before choosing Obi.”
Another source confirmed that following pressure
from his associates and PDP leaders in the
Southeast, Ekweremadu has started weighing
options on his next step.
Investigation revealed that the Deputy President of
the Senate has to choose between remaining in
PDP or defecting to prove a point that he is a force
to reckon with.
The third option is to remain in PDP and sabotage
Atiku by entering into an alliance with President
Muhammadu Buhari on a good deal for the
Southeast if he is re-elected.
The source added: “From the look of things, it
seems there is a conspiracy within PDP to alienate
Ekweremadu.
“Apart from Atiku, the National Chairman of PDP,
Prince Uche Secondus has not deemed it fit to call
the Deputy President of the Senate on why
Ekweremadu was not invited to the meeting where
Obi was nominated. Even after the nomination,
Secondus has not met with Ekweremadu on the
choice of Obi.
“The party and Atiku went ahead to constitute the
Presidential Campaign Council without any input
from Ekweremadu. This is an insult.
“Some powers that be are angry with Ekweremadu
for backing Atiku and the same presidential
candidate does not care a hoot about Ekweremadu.
“It is regretful that we all betrayed Wike and now
Atiku is abandoning our leaders.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “With
the choice of Obi, Atiku is going about as if he has
the South-East in his pocket. Far from it, the
scenario may be different during the presidential
election.
“Atiku needs to sit down afresh with Ekweremadu
and other leaders to win votes from the zone.
These are matchmakers in their own right.
“The unfinished business includes the following:
*Reaching consensus on other posts to concede to
the zone;
* Finding a meeting point with the zone on Atiku’s
idea of restructuring;
*Need to spend one term in office; and
*Ceding power to the Southeast in 2023
“Without definite answers to these demands, Atiku
should forget the backing of the Southeast.”
It was also gathered that Senate President Bukola
Saraki, who is the Director -General of the PCC, has
waded into the complaints of the Southeast
leaders.
A PDP leader said: “I am aware that Saraki has
opened up talks with Ekweremadu.”
http://thenationonlineng.net/2019-fresh-trouble-for-atiku-in-southeast/ |
Re: 2019: Fresh Trouble For Atiku In Southeast by Mynd44: 3:46pm On Oct 21, 2018 |
Re: 2019: Fresh Trouble For Atiku In Southeast by Nobody: 4:17pm On Oct 21, 2018 |
can't we jez fst forward to feb 2019 tired of getting stories of atiku dis atiku dat everyday |
(1) (Reply)
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