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The campaign by some political leaders in the South-East to push Ahmadu Ali, current PDP national chairman to terminate his tenure, as a way of creating opportunities for the election of a hairman from the South-East has received strong opposition from a group of elite and opinion leaders called South-East professionals.
The campaign by some political leaders in the South-East to push Ahmadu Ali, current PDP national chairman to terminate his tenure, as a way of creating opportunities for the election of a hairman from the South-East has received strong opposition from a group of elite and opinion leaders called South-East professionals.
The group argued in a statement in Abuja on Monday, that it would be wrong constitutionally, legally and morally, for the South-East to attempt to push Ali out before the expiration of his tenure in November, as the PDP exco in Abuja was elected on a time frame which is yet to expire.
The group said no statement signed by Dr. Chima Njoku and Barrister James Ibe, president and secretary respectively, that the argument of the Igbo political leaders is flawed and does not represent the wishes of majority of PDP members and leaders from the South-East. The group said: 'An Igboman as PDP national chairman would also want to exhaust his tenure if he is elected. What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander."
Citing instances with the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the South-East Professionals pointed out that the administration was allowed to exhaust their tenure, from 1999 to 2003 and from May 29, 2003 to May 29, 2007.
'Even when the new President, Umar Yar'Adua was elected in April, President Obasanjo did not vacate office automatically, neither were there agitations for him (Obasanjo) to move out and be replaced with Yar'Adua. The administration completed its tenure and Yar'Adua took over at the end of the tenure. That is the constitutional and legal way of doing things and it should apply in the case of tenure of PDP leadership at both federal and state levels," the group stated.
The group pointed accusing fingers at former governors from the South-East, such as Dr. Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State and Chief Achike Udenwa of Imo State, who are reported to be nursing ambition to replace Ali as PDP national chairman.
'We know that Egwu and Udenwa are lobbying to be made national chairman of PDP. They are behind the agitations to scuttle Ali's tenure. They are the ones urging individuals and groups to speak out, asking Ali to step down. It is a wrong step, yet it is coming from governors, who have not given account of their stewardship before their people and before relevant security agencies probing past governors. At the right time, the South-East will rise up to take a decision on who should be the candidate to support for the office of national chairman of PDP," the group said.
The South-East professionals urged Igbo political leaders to learn more to play good politics.
The group explained that those who represented the South East at the negotiating table on zoning of offices failed to negotiate good positions for the zone.
'The South-East lost big positions such as Speaker of the House of Representatives. We also lost the IG of Police, and all the service chiefs in the Armed Forces.
These are positions that needed to be filled urgently and they have been filled. There is no need to hurry to fill the position of national chairman. It can only be vacant till November when the next convention will hold. Ali cannot be pushed out of office on account of selfish ambition of some former governors from the South-East," the South-East professionals concluded.