2015: PDP Crisis Will End If Jonathan Decides Not Seek Re-election, Says Northern Elders

The Northern
Elders Forum has hailed the resignation of Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur as National Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party, saying his tenure
represented the "ugliest face of the PDP".
The Forum also insisted that President Goodluck
Jonathan has to keep to the one-term pact he
allegedly signed with some northern governors in
order to bring the protracted crisis in the ruling
party to an end ahead of the 2015 elections.
According to the Deputy Chairman of NEF, Dr.
Paul Unongo, only the president's declaration not
to contest the 2015 presidential election would
douse the political tension in the country.
Unongo, who is a founding member of the PDP,
said if the party went ahead to field Jonathan as
its candidate, it would lose the 2015 presidential
election.
While hailing Tukur's resignation as a welcome
development, Unongo said it should have come
earlier to prevent defection of prominent
members of the party.
He said, "I think if the PDP had done this (forced
Tukur to resign) a long time ago, it would have
perhaps stemmed the avalanche (of crises) that
happened. Tukur represented the ugliest face of
the PDP. He was insensitive; he was not caring; he
was brutal.
"He already decided that Mr. Jonathan must be
the presidential candidate of the PDP in 2015 and
anybody who didn't like that should go to hell. It is
wonderful that after a long time, the PDP realised
what some of us told them. We had told them that
you don't take Nigerians for granted, thinking you
can do whatever you want.
"I hope that for the sake of the PDP, now that they
have finished with the issue of Tukur, they will
deal with the issue of Mr. President by deciding
that he should not stand for election, so that the
gentleman agreement between the North and the
South will prevail. The one-term has been the
main cause of the crisis in the PDP".
Unongo said the crisis in the PDP, which has
heated up the polity, has been a constant struggle
between those who think Jonathan should not
contest in 2015, and those encouraging him to
throw his hat in the ring.
"It's been between the people, who have been
insisting on the President respecting the one-term
pact and those who have been using him, and are
telling him to go ahead and stand for election;
that nothing will happen.
"You have young governors telling him, 'nothing
will happen; the Middle-Belt is with you'. The only
thing that can save PDP now is for Mr. President to
state categorically that he will not contest election
in 2015. Otherwise the defections will continue
and the PDP will lose the election if it fields
Jonathan", he said.
Unongo advised Jonathan to listen to the
"majority" and shelve his plan to seek re-election.

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