Gov primaries: No good luck for Jonathan’s ex-ministers

Some former ministers’ hope of clinching the Peoples Democratic Party governorship tickets in their respective states was dashed last Monday, Fisayo Falodi reports

Expectation was high and hope rose on October 15, 2014 when seven ministers resigned from President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet to pursue their governorship ambitions.

They had told families and friends that the purpose of the resignation was to enable them to advance their political career by seeking the Peoples Democratic Party governorship tickets in their various states for next year’s general elections.

In their joyous mood and with their eyes fixed on the governorship tickets, they were bade farewell by President Goodluck Jonathan and other members of the cabinet.

At a valedictory session organised in honour of the former ministers, Jonathan had praised them for their meritorious service to the country. The President also wished them success in their political endeavours.

Though he had said that he was aware of the former ministers’ ambition, none of them sent in their resignation letters.

He had therefore directed them to send their resignation letters to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.

Even the President gave the ex-ministers the grace to change their mind during the valedictory session, adding that such opportunity would not be given to them once they sent their resignation letters to the SGF Office.

Jonathan had said, “I want to make it very clear that as of this morning, about seven members of the Federal Executive Council may, and I use the word ‘may’ because you don’t conclude anything in politics. So, seven of us may not be here next Wednesday if their plans continue.

“But we may not say they are not with us until they write to us through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

“As we are talking now, nobody has written and we have not dropped anybody, people should not say we have dropped ministers, no. We have not dropped any minister.

“They are still ministers of council but assuming between now and next council, if they decide to go on with their plans, it is only proper we wish them well, assuming we don’t see them again.

“But if they change their plans, they will continue to be with us but after receiving the letters and they change their minds, it will be too late.

“So, if they have to change their minds, they have to change their minds before sending the letter to the SGF.”

But the former ministers, who observers believe were probably carried away by their popularity as members of the Federal Executive Council and their closeness to Jonathan, ignored the President’s advice.

With the expectation that their popularity would contribute to the efforts that would sway voters in their favour during last Monday’s primaries, they thronged their various states to join the tray of other PDP governorship aspirants but they were shocked when they lost the bid to clinch the tickets.

Except a former Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, who had been endorsed by the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, as the next Rivers State governor even long before the December 8, 2014 primaries in many states of the federation, other former ministers such as Chief Emeka Wogu (Labour), Senator Musiliu Obanikoro (Defence), Labaran Maku, (Information) and Samuel Ortom (Industry, Trade and Investment) failed to realise their ambition of winning the party’s ticket.

Before Wike won the PDP governorship ticket, he had fought what could be described as a major battle to “eliminate” perceived obstacles on his way, one of which is alleged attempt by some stakeholders within the PDP to zone the Rivers State governorship position to either the Kalabari or Ogoni ethnic groups. But Wike, with the support of the First Lady, opposed the stakeholders’ decision.

There was the belief that the race for the PDP governorship seat would be a work-over for Maku in Nasarawa State because of his outspokenness. It was even rumoured before the primary that the ex-minister would emerge as the party’s consensus candidate.   But Maku was shocked when the electoral officer announced a little known Alhaji Yusuf Agabi, who polled 214 votes against the ex-minister’s 160 as the winner of the primary supervised by a former Senate President, Chief Adolphus Wabara.

According to some political observers, Maku may have lost the primary because he was not popular at home.

The observers believe that the few weeks the former minister spent in his home state after he resigned from Jonathan’s cabinet were not enough to create a formidable structure to realise his ambition.

Also, Wogu’s plan to succeed Abia State Governor Theodore Orji were dashed by a former General Manager of the state Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who polled 487 votes.

Wogu, who many people believe has the ability to mediate in dispute situation, came distant third with 33 votes in the primary in which no fewer than eight aspirants participated.

Wogu, like Maku, who observers believe his popularity does not go beyond Abuja, is little known politically in Abia State.

It was also learnt that Ikpeazu won the primary because he was Governor Orji’s favourite among the aspirants.

A school of thought is of the view that the former minister of Labour and Productivity lost the primary because stakeholders from the Ngwa political bloc were not in support of his ambition.

One of the stakeholders, who did not want his name mentioned, said the Ngwa political bloc, which is the most populous clan in Abia State, was more comfortable with Ikpeazu who the clan believed “is more accessible.”

In Lagos State, Obanikoro gave the governorship candidate of the defunct Democratic Peoples Alliance in the 2011 general elections, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, a good fight, but failed to clinch the PDP ticket.

The former minister, who many people had touted as the likely winner of the primary conducted at Yard 158 Event Centre, Oregun, Lagos, polled 346 against that of Agbaje’s 432.

According to observers, Obanikoro may have lost the primary to Agbaje who recently joined the PDP as a result of a long-drawn squabble between him and the party’s leader in Lagos State, Chief Bode George.

George and a former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, were said to be Agbaje’s major supporters.

Obanikoro, who addressed a press conference some minutes after the primary, blamed his defeat on George who he accused of using religious sentiment to advance the interest of another aspirant.

He had said, “The entire primary was a sham. I still cannot comprehend how accredited delegates of 806 will turn out to be 868. To be honest with you, with the benefit of hindsight, you can tell that the outcome was predetermined.

“The path of fraudulent electoral success is condemnable and we intend to fight this. There is an opportunity to appeal and I hope the party will do the right thing. Bode George has been the major problem as far as this party is concerned and there is no doubt in my mind that he supervised this electoral malpractice.

“How do you explain the panel chairman arriving in Lagos by 10am and not starting the election until about 5pm? There are many things that you can look at like the pronouncements made by George, Ogunlewe and others. One of the reasons the PDP has failed in Lagos is because the party is being led by the likes of George and Ogunlewe.”

But George denied manipulating the primary and described the former minister as a “rude boy” who lacked respect for elders.

According to him, Obanikoro is a violent person and the people of Lagos State cannot trust him with their votes.

The former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Chief Samuel Ortom, lost the PDP primary to a former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Terhemen Tarzoor, who was said to be the anointed candidate of the state governor, Gabriel Suswam.

Ortom has the highest level of acceptability in the state among the 18 aspirants that initially stood for the primary, but at the Aper Aku stadium, venue of the event, 10 aspirants were cajoled to step down for the governor’s man who pulled the highest votes of 517 and was declared winner by the chairman of the governorship primary committee, Ambassador Saidu Daura, among the other eight participants.

It was, however, learnt that some stakeholders had tried to prevail on Suswam to support Ortom, but the governor refused to do their bidding having made up his mind to back Tarzoor.

But sources said Suswam deliberately worked against the emergence of Ortom because the governor was not comfortable with his political antecedents.

Like other ex-ministers, a former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, also lost the battle to clinch the PDP governorship ticket in Ebonyi State as he was said to have boycotted the primary which produced the state deputy governor, Mr. Dave Umahi, as the winner.

Chukwu, according to some sources, boycotted the exercise.

Though ex-Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Darius Ishaku, is popular in Taraba State, the primary failed to hold in the state.

Delegates and aspirants’ supporters were stranded at the Jolly Nyame Sports Complex in anticipation of the exercise.

They were, however, shocked when they learnt that the primary had been postponed.

In what looks like a form of educating the former minister in principle of democratic practice, however, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and PDP loyalist, Mr. Leo Ogor, asked them to accept their defeat in good faith.

Ogor, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on the telephone, asked the defeated aspirants to support the winners in realising their ambitions since they (the winners) would still represent the PDP in the February 2015 general elections.

He said, “The ex-ministers are democrats and they should be seen as such by supporting the winners.

“They should accept the verdict of the majority and be good losers for the advancement of Nigeria’s democracy.

“It is also expected of them to put their defeat behind them and work for the collective interest of the party.”

Likewise, a former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, asked the losers of the governorship primaries to continue to maintain their loyalty to the party.

According to him, defection is not an option, but their decision to support the PDP to achieve robust success in the forthcoming poll.

“None of the ex-ministers defeated in last Monday’s PDP primary is defecting to other party. They have been assured that they would be carried along in the party’s activities,” Babatope said.