2015: Presidency, PDP, Senators Agreement Cannot Threaten Govs Senatorial Bids – Aliyu

The Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has declared that the clash of interest between governors and senators in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would be resolved by the electorate.

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan and the national leadership of PDP allegedly reached an agreement with the party’s caucus in the Senate to curb the intimidating influence of state governors in the affairs of the party, especially in the area of primaries.

The Presidency, PDP and the senators at a meeting on Thursday night, which held at the presidential villa, Abuja, reportedly also agreed that certain final-term governors would have to forego their senatorial bids in 2015 to enable some ‘experienced’ senators in the affected states to clinch the PDP ticket to be re-elected into the Red Chamber come 2015.

And where such governors insist on contesting the PDP senatorial ticket with incumbent ‘experienced’ senators, the meeting reportedly agreed that the governors would automatically have no say on who succeeds them in office because most of the affected states’ chief executives are bent on imposing their successors.

Reacting to the development, Aliyu, who is eyeing the Niger East Senatorial seat after the expiration of his 8-year tenure as governor in 2015, said despite the decision of the Presidency, “the most important factor is the will of the people”.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Israel Ebije on Saturday, the governor insisted that only the wish of the electorate would prevail.

He said people must understand that politics should not be played on a platter of sentiment or bargained with the value of market commodity.

“No agreement reached anywhere with anybody can in any way threaten governors’ ambition for the senate.

“It is, therefore, instructive to intimate that the 2015 elections will be very interesting especially in the area of political mettle.

“It is, therefore, instructive to intimate that the 2015 elections will be very interesting especially in the area of political mettle.

“Governors or senators expressing concerns on any kind of agreement reached are only expressing myopic understanding of the matter on ground and not sure of their political value”, Ebije said.

He stated that what should be of concern is the personality and marketability of the aspirants. “The next general election is for the people to choose, based on performance and not on agreement or bargain. It is a pendulum that will certainly swing in favour of the most qualified politicians”, he added.