PDP apologises for fielding Goodluck conceding that it breached rotational principle

NIGERIA'S Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has apologised for fielding President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections conceding that it was an abrogation of its gentleman's agreement that the presidency should rotate between the north and the south.

 

Upon assumption of office in 1999, the PDP had an informal agreement that the presidency would rotate between the northern and southern halves of the country. Former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a southerner was in office between 1999 and 2007 and then handed over to Umaru Yar'Adua a northerner, who unfortunately passed away while in office in 2010.

 

His deputy, Dr Goodluck Jonathan then assumed office until the end of the tenure in 2011 when he stood on the understanding that he will only serve a term. However, in 2015, Dr Jonathan decided to breach the agreement and run again, irking the northern members of his party, many of whom decided to leave and join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

This contributed to the APC defeating the PDP at the last elections and conceding that it made an error of judgement, the PDP has asked Nigerians to forgive it. Dr Raymond Dokpesi, the owner of African Independent Television and the chairman of the PDP's national planning committee, also apologised for not meeting the yearnings of Nigerians during the 16 years they were in office.

 

Dr Dokpesi added that the party was aware that Nigerians were angry with it because of some actions it took in the past 16 years when it was in power. He said the party was ready to mend fences and this was why it was organising a national conference where all issues affecting its operations would be discussed.

 

“We are aware that there were errors we made. We admit that we made mistakes and we have not met the expectation of Nigerians and we tender unreserved apologies for these mistakes.

 

“You must have seen the Ike Ekweremadu report on why we are apologising. There was no internal democracy, there was impunity within the party and there was no level-playing ground for members of the party," Dr Dokpesi added.

 

He conceded that the zoning principles of the party were abandoned and that they deviated from the vision of their founding fathers like Adamu Ciroma and Dr Alex Ekwueme. Dr Dokpesi conceded that it was wrong for the party to have abandoned zoning in preference of the former president Dr Jonathan.

 

According to Dr Dokpesi, the party ought to have allowed the northern part of the country to complete its term when former President Umaru Yar’Adua died in 2010.  “The party in 2010 and 2011, made the first round of mistake of not allowing the north to complete its term," he added.