President Goodluck Jonathan, has assured the aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the senate, that he would ensure that the party leadership addresses the issue that sparked off their protest in the National Assembly this week.
The senators had adjourned plenary abruptly on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the alleged overbearing influence of the governors in the emergence of candidates that would fly the party’s flag in next year’s general election.
Specifically, the PDP caucus in the red chamber, alleged that the governors had hijacked the party’s structures and used it to manipulate the last weekend ward congresses, which produced delegates that would elect the PDP candidates for the general election.
Worried by the development especially with the threats by the aggrieved senators to frustrate government activities since Jonathan appeared to have left them to their fate, Senate President, David Mark, arranged a meeting between his colleagues and the president.
Sources among the senators at the meeting which also had in attendance, the PDP National Chairman and some of his National Working Committee members, said Jonathan sympathized with the plights of the federal lawmakers and pledged to ‘right the wrongs’.
The source said that Jonathan, having listened to the submissions of the senators, assured them that the party would guarantee the return of any of them that had shown interest to contest the next year’s National Assembly election.
He said, “This is a welcome development, a situation where by about 75 percent of serving senators are being given automatic tickets by their party to return to the senate in next year. I think this will strengthen our democracy”
Another source also told our correspondent that Jonathan had directed Mu’azu to liaise with party officials in the state on how to perfect strategies that would lead to the emergence of serving senators as automatic flagbearers.
He said, “Our deliberations are very fruitful and we commend the president for playing a fatherly role of bringing all us together. We are ready to resume normal plenary next Tuesday”
Senate Spokesperson, Eyinnaya Abaribe, declined comments when our correspondent contacted him on phone.
He said, “The issue is not a senate affair. It is a party affair, which I cannot make any comment on” Punch
