Automatic ticket: PDP senators renew battle with governors The Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the Senate met behind closed doors on Wednesday to review its last meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan. The meeting which was presided over by the Senate President, David Mark, started shortly after they resumed plenary. None of the senators spoke openly with journalists after the meeting as they looked distraught while heading for their various offices in the new Senate wing. Attempts by our correspondent to speak with the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma – Egba, yielded no results. But some senators who, volunteered information on condition of anonymity, said they had agreed that the work-to- rule action which they embarked upon last week should continue. One of them said their action was due to the alleged desperate moves by the PDP governors to truncate the “automatic tickets deal” they reached with President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership last week. The PDP senators had embarked on a work-to-rule, following the outcome of the November 1 ward congresses which they alleged were hijacked by the governors. Jonathan, however, reached a deal between them and the Adamu Mu’azu-led National Working Committee of the PDP at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Jonathan, the senators and the PDP leadership, according to sources, agreed to ensure that at least two serving senators from each state should be handed automatic tickets for the February 14, 2015 polls. But one of the senators, who attended the Wednesday meeting said, “We have resolved to renew our battle with the governors and our party. Our work-to- rule will also continue following indications that the party and the Presidency may go back on the agreement they had with us. “The governors of the PDP held a meeting with the President after his formal declaration on Tuesday. They urged the President to take another look at the issue of automatic tickets for senators. The governors insisted that instead of granting 40 automatic tickets to senators, the governors should be allowed to take up the issue and review it on a state-by-state basis. “We saw the move by the governors as a fresh move to outwit and shortchange us.” The senator added that they were suspicious of the plan by the governors and therefore had resolved to send Mark to the President and the party leadership to drive home their point. He said, “We were told at the meeting that governors met with the President late on Tuesday and resolved that the party should allow them to review the issue of automatic tickets . “We see this as a ploy to undermine our agreement with President Jonathan and the party. “As senators, we are not happy and I can tell you that a number of people are already contemplating ditching the party.” The PUNCH also learnt that 11 PDP senators from the North-West threatened to dump the party in view of what they considered as the high-handedness of the PDP leaders and governors in their zone. A source at the meeting said the senators told the meeting that PDP tickets were fast becoming a “poisoned chalice” in the zone. According to him, the 11 senators also complained that the treatment being meted out to them by their governors was further compounding the situation. It was gathered that the senators decided to strengthen the hands of Mark by asking him to take up the matter and brief them regularly. He said, “If care is not taken, the PDP could become a minority in the Senate before the end of this year. The danger again is that going back and forth on agreements reached with the highest organs of the PDP is painting a bad picture of the party.” Copyright PUNCH.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 07:33:47 +0000
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