Automatic ticket: PDP senators renew battle with governors

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu

The Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the Senate met behind closed doors on Wednesday to review its last meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.

The meeting which was presided over by the Senate President, David Mark, started shortly after they resumed plenary.

None of the senators spoke openly with journalists after the meeting as they looked distraught while heading for their various offices in the new Senate wing.

Attempts by our correspondent to speak with   the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma – Egba, yielded no results.

But some senators who,   volunteered information on condition of anonymity, said   they had agreed that the work-to- rule action which they embarked upon last week should continue.

One of them said their action was due to the alleged desperate moves   by the PDP governors to truncate the “automatic tickets deal” they reached with   President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership last week.

The PDP senators had   embarked on a work-to-rule, following the outcome of the November 1 ward congresses which they alleged were hijacked by the governors.

Jonathan, however, reached   a deal   between them and the Adamu Mu’azu-led National Working Committee of the PDP at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jonathan, the senators and the PDP leadership, according to sources, agreed to ensure that at least two serving senators from each state should be handed automatic tickets for the February 14, 2015 polls.

But one of the senators, who attended the Wednesday meeting said, “We have resolved to renew our battle with the governors and our party. Our   work-to- rule will also continue following indications that the party and the Presidency   may go back on the agreement they had with us.

“The governors of the PDP held a meeting with the President   after his formal declaration on Tuesday. They urged the President to take another look at the issue of automatic tickets for senators. The governors insisted that instead of granting 40 automatic tickets to senators, the governors should be allowed to take up the issue and review it on a state-by-state basis.

“We saw the move by the governors as a fresh move to outwit and shortchange us.”

The senator added that they   were suspicious of the plan by the governors and therefore had resolved to send Mark to the President and the party leadership to drive home their point.

He said, “We were told at the meeting that governors met with the President late on Tuesday and resolved that the party should allow them to review the issue of automatic tickets .

“We see this as a ploy to   undermine our agreement with President Jonathan and the party.

“As senators, we are not happy and I can tell you that a number of people are already contemplating ditching the party.”

The PUNCH also   learnt that 11 PDP senators from the North-West threatened to dump the party in view of what they considered as the high-handedness of the PDP leaders and governors in their zone.

A source at the meeting said   the senators told the meeting that   PDP tickets were fast becoming a “poisoned chalice” in the zone.

According to him, the 11 senators   also complained that the treatment being meted out to them by their governors was further compounding the situation.

It was gathered that the senators decided to strengthen the hands of Mark by asking him to take up the matter and brief them regularly.

He said, “If care is not taken, the PDP could become a minority in the Senate before the end of this year. The danger again is that going back and forth on agreements reached with the highest organs of the PDP is painting a bad picture of the party.”