Continued alleged interference by the first lady and wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, is said to be threatening the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its nominations of governorship candidates across the states.
Reports emanating from some states alleged that the continued insistence of the first lady to foist candidates in the PDP has pitched her against most governors, state party executives, as well as aspirants that are not on her radial.
PDP however has denied that the first lady was interfering in that direction, saying that the allegation was just a rumour being poured out for obvious political reasons.
Deputy national publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, when contacted, said, “In politics, one thing you cannot prevent is allegation and rumour-mongering. The moment an aspirant realises that somebody is bigger than him, he or she resorts to that. We as a democratic party have always allowed everybody to test his or her popularity.”
In Rivers State however, the open endorsement of former minister of state for education, Chief Nyesome Wike, has gotten the ire of other PDP aspirants in the state who have kicked against the first lady’s action.
While speaking at Wike’s residence in Abuja recently, Dame Jonathan had expressed her support for Wike’s ambition to take over from Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi come 2015, saying he is well-prepared for service in a “higher capacity”.
The open endorsement of Wike by the first lady, who hails from Okrika axis of the state, did not go down well with no fewer than 16 other governorship aspirants on the platform of the PDP, who alleged that she had even approached them, urging them to step down for Wike.
The 16 aggrieved governorship aspirants include, Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Major Lancellot Anyanya, Engr. Sampson Ngerebara, Hon. Nimi Walson-Jack, Senator Lee Maeba, and Hon Gabriel Pidomson.
Others are Dr. Silva Opusunju, Hon. Bernard Mikko, Chief Pawariso Samuel Horsfall, Hon Oseleye Dennis Ojuka, Prince Tonye Princewill, Captain Sunday Nwankwo, Prof. Don Baridam, Hon Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja and Mrs. Abie Bob Abbey-Hart.
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt, they decried the interference of the wife of the President in the affairs of the PDP in the state, saying that they were constrained from addressing the first lady’s unacceptable and unfortunate interference in the affairs of the PDP in the state due to the enormous respect they have for the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
The statement, which was signed by Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo, on behalf of the campaign organisations of the 16 affected governorship aspirants, said, “We want to put it on record that the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has publicly (not in her house, but in the house of one of the aspirants) endorsed an aspirant. The first lady has also approached some of the aspirants to step down and even invited them to a dinner/meeting in the presidential villa.”
Continuing, the statement said, “We have constrained ourselves from addressing the unacceptable and unfortunate interference of the first lady in the affairs of the Rivers State PDP because of the enormous respect we have for our son, President Jonathan, but we want to say that enough is enough.”
In Delta State, the alleged endorsement of Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Olejeme by the first lady has seen her interest clashing with that of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who had openly endorsed the aspiration of Mr Tony Chuks Obuh, a retired permanent secretary in the state.
What seemed to be a declaration of “war” in Delta State manifested itself recently at the Asaba International Airport, when on a visit to the state, Dame Patience Jonathan was quoted as saying, “We need a female governor in Delta”, a statement that did not go down well with Mrs. Uduaghan and others who had gone to welcome her at the airport and had been mopping support for Obuh.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday, a leader of the party in the state, Hon. Macaulay Deinde, said, “It is true the first lady said so, and this has not gone down well with the people of Delta State, because a woman cannot rule the state. They do not have the capacity to do so.”
In Oyo State, no thanks to alleged first lady’s initial support and endorsement of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja, as party members had threatened to spoil the broth.
A chieftain of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the issue of presenting the former governor and national leader of Accord Party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja as governorship candidate had been over taken by event.
While noting that the first lady had denied her involvement in the candidacy of Ladoja, he said since Ladoja collected nomination form and did not submit same until it closed, he could not be presented by the PDP as governorship candidate.
Those interested in the governorship of the state under the PDP include former senate leader, Senator Teslim Folarin; former state governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, and Engineer Seyi Makinde.
In Bayelsa State, but for the management of the crisis, seeming power play between the President and his wife on one hand, and Governor Seriake Dickson on the other, would have caused the First Family some embarrassment.
Clash of interests, ahead of 2015, is reported to have pitched the First Family against Governor Dickson, who has remained resolute in the choice of those filling elective offices in the state; a move which has drawn the ire of the Presidency.
The rumoured plan by the first lady, Dame Jonathan, to install a governor in the state in 2016 when the Dickson’s first term in office expires, coupled with the alleged influence over the deployment of the state commissioner of police, Barr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, the processes of the 2016 ward congresses, and the state and National Assembly elections, have all but raised the stakes in Bayelsa politics.
While some sources within the PDP argued that there is an existing cold war between the wife of the President and the state governor, the first lady’s recent appointment as as super permanent secretary in the state, opened the speculation box in this direction.
Dickson had in July 2012, five months after his inauguration, allegedly overstepped moral bounds by appointing Patience Jonathan, as one of the 17 new permanent secretaries in the state civil service.
Latest reports emanating from Bayelsa have revealed that the crisis has, however, gone for the worse, as speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, who is also a close ally of the governor, Hon Benson Konbowei, at the weekend, cautioned the President against interfering in the choice of senatorial candidates for the party in the state.
“Mr President is from the east senatorial district and we are talking about the central senatorial district. We are talking about a senator representing central senatorial district, so the President should have nothing to do with the issue. As far as the decision is concerned, it should come from us,” he told LEADERSHIP Sunday.
While President Jonathan and his wife are insisting on the return of Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa central) in 2015, Governor Dickson is insisting on the replacement of all the three senators, the five House of Representatives members, as well as 22 out of the 26 state assembly members.
Hon Konbowei said in the interview: “We only gave him (Senator Paulker) a second chance, and when the second chance was given to him, he acted the same way. So, why should we give him a third chance?
“The President doesn’t have to go to our constituencies, so we take all his messages back to the people. We take all the messages of Paulker to the people,” Konbowei said.
Another state identified as where the first lady’s tentacles are being felt is in Adamawa State.
Indications have emerged that Dame Patience Jonathan might be working to ensure the emergence of Governor Bala James Ngillari as Adamawa State gubernatorial candidate of the party in the 2015 general elections, according to impeccable sources in the party.
A gubernatorial aspirant of the party in the October botched election, who spoke in confidence to LEADERSHIP Sunday yesterday in Yola, confirmed the development, adding that some of the lawmakers who participated in a meeting held between the first lady, the state chairman of the party, and the lawmakers confirmed the development to him.
The source however noted that the ambition of the first lady will not see the light of the day, since she has failed at enforcing her will in Rivers and Bayelsa states.
“The attempt of the first lady will not succeed in Adamawa State, as it had not succeeded in Rivers and Bayelsa states where the first lady hails from,” the source said.
“It is important that we started talking about these issues now in view of their adverse consequences on democracy and prevailing peace in Adamawa State,” the sourced noted.
The press secretary to Governor Bala Ngillari, Mr Maxwell Duku, however, jettisoned the insinuation, adding that they have no basis and are mere fabrications that cannot stand the test of rigorous scrutiny.
He said the intention of Ngillari to contest the gubernatorial election followed widespread calls by the good people of the state urging him to contest, and in doing so had used their hard earned funds to purchase the form for him.
And also in a swift reaction, the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, who refuted the allegation of interference in the party politics, said such accusations were only diversionary and made against her in bad taste.
She described it as an orchestrated scheming by some politicians who, in a bid to weather the political storm to their advantage, have resorted to demonise her.
Dame Patience Jonathan, who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday through her media assistant, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, noted that while she was aware of her place in the country’s governance strata, there was no way she would start claiming to be a political officeholder or a party functionary.
In a telephone chat last night, Adewuyi said, “We wish to reiterate for the umpteenth time that linking the first lady to imposition of candidates in the PDP is a carefully orchestrated scheme to anchor the political fortunes or survival of certain politicians on a deliberate demonisation of the first lady, Dame (Dr) Patience Faka Jonathan.
“Let us state once again without any iota of equivocation that the first lady is not an elected official of state, neither is she a party functionary. She therefore recognises very clearly her place in the scheme of things and acts always accordingly.
“If anything, she has continued to preach for peaceful conduct of all aspirants before, during and after elections, since she believes that peace is prerequisite to a free and fair election, and ultimately, development and unity of the country,” he said.
Insisting that the priority of the first lady had been how to ensure a peaceful environment for the election itself, Adewuyi said, “She believes the elections can only be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and the aspirants must be alive to contest and win election.
“She only preaches peace because she is a mother of peace. This fresh round of false accusation is to say the least in bad taste and diversionary
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