Governors of the soon to become opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have voiced their lack of confidence in the party’s national chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, blaming him and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for leading the party into a disastrous electoral performance in Nigeria’s recent presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
At their latest governors forum in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Tuesday, the PDP governors demanded that Mr. Mu’azu and other members of the party’s NWC leave office immediately.
The national chairman’s tenure as well as that of members of the party’s NWC is due to end in 2016.
The angry governors, led by Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, met at the Akwa Ibom Governor's Lodge in Abuja. Two members of the party’s NWC attended the tense meeting.
Despite the governors’ criticism and vote of no confidence, a defiant Mu’azu vowed to stay on till the expiration of his tenure. Far from accepting blame for the party’s defeat, Mr. Mu’azu asserted that the governors contributed to the abysmal outing of the party during the last general elections.
A member of the NWC briefed our correspondent on the tumultuous meeting. He said the party leaders and governors had held a tense meeting, adding, “After the meeting, the party leaders left. And that’s when the governors resolved to ask the National Working Committee members to resign.” He accused the party’s outgoing governors of “wanting to hijack the party before new governors come in.”
The NWC member added, “We won't resign. Instead, we are calling for a public hearing on who caused the collapse of the party between the governors and the NWC.
“These governors forced their cronies on the party as their governorship candidates. And they lost. So now they are looking for somebody else to blame. We are going to ask for a public probe to see who is working against the party,” the source said.
Akpabio is asking President Goodluck Jonathan to take over the party leadership in anticipation of running for presidency in 2019, but most NWC members believe that Jonathan would not want to run, they claimed it was Akpabio who is actually eyeing Nigeria’s presidency in 2019.