Elder statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chef Edwin Clark, has given an insight into why ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, kept a reasonable distance from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after he left office in 2015.
According to Clark, the Chairman of PDP, its Northern governors ganged up with APC, Tinubu and others to oust him from power.
The perfidy and backstabbing by his trusted party men had made Jonathan to quit, he said, Persecondnews reports.
From 2011, they have been worrying Jonathan. Even in 2015, the northern PDP leaders ganged up with APC, Tinubu and removed Jonathan from office. They did not campaign, Jonathan was on his own.
So, when people say why is Jonathan not in PDP and not attending PDP meetings, I can safely say that he is learning his lesson that the people he trusted did not trust him. They squandered the party’s money and left.
When people say why is Jonathan not in PDP, he knows how they betrayed him, how the northern PDP governors contributed money towards Buhari’s success, how members of government betrayed him.
The national Chairman of PDP at the time was Governor (Adamu) Mu’azu. He did not go to his hometown to campaign, he was only following Jonathan about; he knew what he was doing. Everyone of them wanted Buhari to win. So, Buhari won. He has ruled for eight years.
“Now, the same Northerners are now saying competence, no zoning, integrity,’’
Clark said on Tuesday while playing host to Delta Central APC Leaders of Thought at his Abuja residence.
Noting that Jonathan has learnt his lessons how PDP leaders from the North including the governors and others worked against his reelection, harping on the claim that it was their turn to produce the president.
Clark alleged that many PDP governors from the North raised funds for the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
According to him, the same northern governors in the PDP who had opposed zoning are now canvassing competence and integrity in 2022.
A one-time Minister of Information also pointed: “Now coming home politically, Jonathan was the president for some time as the result of the death of President Yar’Adua. Jonathan ruled for about five years, he is a Christian and the northerners said it was their turn.
It fell for the prey; they maneuvered PDP with Alhaji Abubakar who has been wanting to be president of Nigeria over the years, championing the cause of division. So, the PDP, a party we love, PDP a party of southern Nigeria disappointed us.
In 2019, 11 million people voted for Atiku Abubakar, PDP. Five million from the north, five million from the South. Now he doesn’t think that we ever did anything for him.
“So, Nigeria has changed. If anyone tells you that all is well in Nigeria that person is living in a fool’s paradise.
“I’m happy to note that you are members of the ruling party that is APC and I will give you a message to Mr. President, who is the leader of your party. But we are in the minority but in every society the minority and the majority must live together.’’
On Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s choice of a Muslim as his running mate, Clark said he would have voted for the ruling party and Tinubu but for his age and the decision to fly a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
“But the only thing that your party has done that has made me to withdraw my support for it is this Muslim-Muslim ticket. I won’t talk about it, because I have written a statement,’’ the Ijaw leader said.
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