Former PDP governors consider forming their forum alleging neglect from incumbents

FORMER governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are considering forming a forum of ex-governors after accusing their incumbent colleagues of neglecting them and relegating them to the background when it comes to decision making.

 

Yesterday, the former governors and their deputies met with the party’s national chairman Senator Modu Sheriff, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja to express their frustration at being marginalised. They lamented the fact that their successors relegated them to the background in the affairs of the party in their various states.

 

Some of the former governors present at the meeting included Babangida Mu’azu (Niger), Ramalan Yero (Kebbi), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Abdulkadir Kure (Niger), Idris Wada (Kogi), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Theodore Orji (Abia)  and  Sule Lamido (Jigawa). Former deputy governors present included Iyiola Omisore (Osun) and Etuk Effiong (Akwa Ibom).

 

Former president Goodluck Jonathan, his deputy Namadi Sambo and Peter Odili (Rivers), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Donald Duke (Cross River), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and deputy governor Muktar Shagari of Sokoto State were also invited to the meeting, but were absent. They met with Senator Sheriff who described the former governors and their deputies as stakeholders in the party.

 

Senator Sheriff  said: “As a former governor, I know what a governor goes through to win elections. You are the leaders of the party and incumbent governors are also leaders too bit ormer governors must be carried along and they must be involved in all the affairs of the party, so that we can get it right.”

 

A former governor of Adamawa State, Bala Ngilari, who spoke for the northeast, described Senator Sheriff’s emergence as good for the geo-political zone. Governor Egwu, who spoke on behalf of former southeast governors and deputies, hailed Senator Sheriff as the first national chairman to recognise former PDP governors and deputy governors.

 

“This meeting has shown that the party has not forgotten those that started the party. Most of us were in the meeting that marked the beginning of the PDP but the convention in Nigeria is that the moment you are out of office, you are forgotten.

 

Former governors that we helped put in office forgot us. It was like frustration for most of us but because we believed in the party, we stayed back,” Governor Egwu added.

 

Former Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniel, who spoke for the southwest, lamented the fact that the party lost because what it thought were great assets were perceived to be a liability. Other former governors from other geopolitical zones spoke in support of Senator Sheriff’s leadership and their readiness to remain within the PDP.