CAUCUS MEETING: JONATHAN INVITES SIX GOVS, OTHERS KICK

President Goodluck Jonathan has further moved  to divide the ranks of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party by inviting six of them to the party’s national caucus meeting.

The criteria used by the President to invite the governors were however not known.

The President conveyed his decision to the governors concerned and the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, via a letter dated February 27.

In the letter, which was signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Dr. Mike Oghiadhome, Jonathan also directed that three ministers be invited for the meeting.

With reference number SH/COS70/A/7232, Oghiadhome wrote, “His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, has directed that the National Caucus meeting of the PDP be convened on Wednesday March, 6, 2013, in the Banguet Hall, State House, Abuja.

“He has also directed that the following governors be invited to the meeting.”

Listed as chosen ones are Ibrahim Shema(Katsina), Isa Yuguda(Bauchi), Gabriel Suswan(Benue) Theodore Orji(Abia), Godswill Akpabio(Cross River) and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).

The President also directed that three ministers – Justice and Attorney-General, Mohammed Adoke (SAN); Transport, Sen. Idris Umar ,   and the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke – be in attendance.

Part V111 (30) of the party’s constitution, deals with those who can be members of the caucus.

Among those listed as members are the national chairman of the party, the President and his Deputy, Senate President and his deputy, the Leader and Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of the party in the Senate.

From the House of Representatives are the Speaker and his deputy, the Leader and Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of the party in the House.

Also listed are six governors, who are members of the party to be nominated by the President bearing in mind the need for spread and the chairman and secretary of the Board of Trustees and one member, drawn from each of the six geo-political zones.

A member of the National Working Committee of the party, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, wondered why the President would always favour his geo-political zone in any of the appointments he is making.

He wondered why the President would pick two governors from his zone, when he could have picked two from other political zones apart from the South-South.

Both Akpabio and Uduaghan are from the President’s geo-political zone of the country.

“The President should have used that to make a statement that he is not in government to serve the interest of his people at every given opportunity,” he added.

Referring to the nomination of Allision-Madueke as one of the three ministers nominated as members of the caucus by the President, the source added “it is wrong for the President to have included three of his kinsmen among nine persons he has powers to nominate” into a committee.

Already, he said governors of the party were already grumbling, wondering the criteria the President used to nominate those he picked for the meeting.

A governor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was wrong for the President and the party to have ignored the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, from the list.

Almost all those invited for the meeting are known to be good at playing what a source described as “Villa’s politics,” and were said to have played a major role in the establishment of the PDP Governors Forum.

It is believed that the Forum, which is headed by Akpabio, was formed to oppose the NGF, which Amaechi heads.

Source: Punch