Peoples Democratic Party governors from the northern part of the country, worked against the re-election bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 because he (Jonathan) ignored the earlier agreement with the zone not to contest after completing the tenure of the Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration, a former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, has revealed.
The former Governor said this in a statement he signed titled, ‘Why We Opposed Jonathan’s Second Term Bid –Babangida Aliyu.’
He was reacting to his purported suspension by the PDP in Chachanga Local Government Area of Niger State for alleged anti-party activities, including working against Jonathan in 2015.
Jonathan lost to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
He said, “All the governors in the North under the PDP supported the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to complete the remaining years of Yar’Adua’s tenure and to contest the next presidential election as a sole candidate of our great party.
“However, midway, President Goodluck Jonathan insisted to run for the office in 2015 against the grain of our earlier agreement.
“Since this was against the grain of our earlier agreement in the party, and which we the governors in the north felt the North would have been shortchanged if Jonathan had succeeded, we rose stoutly to insist on the agreement we all had.
“On that premise, we opposed Jonathan. But all along, Goodluck Jonathan had enjoyed every support from the governors in the north and the entire region.”
The former governor said it was wrong for anyone to say that he opposed Goodluck Jonathan.
He added that as the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum then, it was his responsibility to tell the people about the stand of the governors.
His words: “As Chairman of the 19 Northern States Governors Forum, the task was on my shoulders to voice out the position of the North which stood disadvantaged by the demise of Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua and the insistence that Jonathan should run for the office of president in 2015.
“We acted in good spirit and argued our points based on principle and on the subsisting agreement we had with Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. That agreement was written and accepted by all.”
