Former Ministers, who served during the
various regimes of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2015, have
expressed disappointment with former
President Goodluck Jonathan for
supporting the candidacy of Senator Ali
Modu Sheriff as National Chairman of the
PDP in the face of the opposition from
majority of members.
At least, three of the former Ministers,
who spoke to Sunday Vanguard in an
interview in Abuja, said Jonathan’s
support for Sheriff ‘ will not augur well for
the PDP.
Since PDP leaders, at its National
Executive Committee (NEC) meeting,
endorsed the zoning of the party’s
chairmanship position to the North-East,
there have been mounting opposition as
it was seen as a subtle way to retain
senator Sheriff in his position.
In an interview with Sunday Vanguard,
one of the Ministers, who served under
Jonathan, expressed disappointment that
Jonathan ‘deliberately brought an
outsider to kill our party”. The former
Minister, who did not want to be named,
explained: “How can the former president
who is one of the greatest beneficiaries of
the party bring in somebody that will kill
the party? It is obvious that majority of
our party members don’t want Sheriff to
continue as Chairman. So, as the leader of
the party, what we expect from the former
President is to provide the leadership and
hold the party together. Instead, he has
kept mute because he obviously supports
Sheriff”.
Another former Minister who served under
President Umaru Yar’Adua, said: “With
what is happening, a final death knell has
been sounded for the PDP.
“What is the rationale for zoning the
position to the North-East if not because
some people are desperate to ensure that
Sheriff remains in office at all costs? In
fact, making Sheriff the Chairman of the
party is an insult to the entire North
because the North should have been left
to take their own decision. For keeping
quiet when it matters most, President
Jonathan has disappointed a lot of us.
That is not how to provide leadership at
this critical time”.
Source: vanguard
