TWENTY Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors Thursday promised to back President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for the ruling party’s presidential ticket.

It is, however, with a proviso – that he will rule for only one term, if elected.

The governors’ position was announced in a communiqué read by Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema after their meeting in Abuja last night.

The communiqué reads: “At the emergency meeting of PDP governors held Thursday 16th day of December, 2010 and having deliberated extensively on democratic practices the world over observed as follows:

“Democratic systems all over the world recognise the principle of incumbency and continuity.

“Entrenched democratic culture persistent in presidential system and our constitution entitles our President to run for a second term which the PDP governors support.

“The governors also recognise the Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket and therefore hereby support and endorse President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest the 2011 election as the PDP presidential candidate for a period of four years only.”

The 20 governors who signed the communiqué are
Ibrahim Audu (Kogi), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Akwe Doma (Nasarawa), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Gabriel Suswan (Benue), Rotimi Amaech (Rivers), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Patrick Yakowa (Kaduna), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Saidu Dakingari ( Kebbi), Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Mahmud Shinkafi (Zamfara), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and Danbaba Suntai (Taraba).

Sources at the meeting said the President attended the Governors’ meeting held at the sideline of the National Executive Committee meeting, where the governors insisted on a new order for the PDP primaries with the governorship primaries coming first ahead of others.

It was gathered that the President accused them of having an ulterior motive for insisting on having the governorship primaries first. This they denied.

An agreement was therefore reached that governors would publicly back the president’s bid while he would in turn agree to their demand.

But Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki was excused from signing the communiqué endorsing the President’s bid because “he is committed to the consensus agreement”.

But the Atiku Campaign Organisation faulted the governors’ decision. In a statement by Mallam Garba Shehu, the campaign organisation said: “The so-called governors’ endorsement is of no significance so long as they do not take away the right of delegates to vote. We are in a democracy. Governors have a right to make a democratic choice and so do the delegates. Let there be no intimidation of delegates.”

The PDP NEC is believed to be sticking to the order of primaries it earlier adopted.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/21950.html

i guess the is d beginning of the failure of pdp


Next Time Jonathan shu learn to keep to Promise