2015: Jonathan woos aggrieved APC leaders

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party have launched a plan to lure prominent members of the country’s biggest opposition party, All Progressives Congress, into the ruling party, SUNDAY PUNCH has authoritatively learnt.

An investigation by our correspondent showed that loyalists to the President had been meeting with leaders of the APC known to be aggrieved with developments in the opposition party.

It was learnt that the ruling party will capitalise on, among other issues, the internal wrangling in the APC over an alleged plan to present a Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket under a consensus arrangement for the 2015 election.

SUNDAY PUNCH had exclusively reported on April 6, 2014, that Christian leaders of the APC who were aggrieved with the alleged mono-religious ticket and consensus arrangement had threatened to quit the party, if the national leaders of the party carried out their alleged plan.

Even though the party’s spokesman, Mr. Lai Mohammed, has refuted the claims, its members insist that the hierarchy of the party have concluded plans to field a former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and a former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, as the party’s presidential candidates through a consensus arrangement. Buhari and Tinubu are Muslims.

Apart from the controversial issue of a Muslim/Muslim ticket, some members of the APC are also dissatisfied with the way they have been ‘sidelined by the party.’ Others also want the party to hold primary elections rather than adopt the consensus model.

Reliable PDP sources, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH, said the PDP and Jonathan’s close aides had been holding a series of meetings with some leaders of the APC, especially those who defected from the ruling party to the opposition party, to seek their return to the ruling party.

Five governors, 37 members of the House of Representatives and 12 senators on the platform of the PDP had defected to the opposition party in 2013. Several other national leaders of the ruling party, including ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, had also joined the defection train.

Some of those alleged to be driving the PDP plane are the National Chairman, PDP, Adamu Mu’azu; the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; and the newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President, Gen. Oladehinde Arogbofa (retd.).

Shortly after the report, a former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, who is known to be aggrieved with the alleged APC plan, paid a visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday. Fani-Kayode, who is believed to have held a meeting with Jonathan, declined to comment on his reason for the visit.

It was further gathered that another aggrieved senior APC member, Hannatu Musawa, was invited by the Presidency recently.

Her visit was said to have followed her alleged embarrassment by some APC leaders during the party’s national summit on March 6, 2014.

It was learnt that Musawa was billed to deliver a poem at the event but was allegedly cut short midway into her presentation.

When contacted on Friday, Musawa said, “Yes, there have been such  talks but I was not invited by the presidency.”

 A reliable source in the APC who preferred anonymity, said, “Both the Presidency and national leadership of the PDP are going about and holding meetings with leaders of the APC. The belief is that those who are not happy with the developments in the opposition party may consider defection.

“The President’s Chief of Staff, the NSA and the PDP National Chairman are the major leaders of the mobilisation drive.”

The Chairman, Forum of PDP Chairmen in the South-West, Mr. Adebayo Dayo, on Friday, confirmed to our correspondent that the ruling party was discussing with APC leaders and members with a view of luring them to the ruling party.

Dayo, who is the PDP Chairman, Ogun State, said, “You will see what will happen in the next few weeks. We are meeting with APC members and I am sure PDP will become fuller.”

A presidential aspirant on the platform of the APC and Publisher, Leadership Newspaper, Mr. Samuel Nda-Isaiah, also confirmed to our correspondent that efforts were being made to talk some APC leaders back to the PDP.

Nda-Isiah described the differences among APC leaders as “a teething problem of a new party.”

He said, “Yes, they are going round. They are very desperate, after they lost their governors and lawmakers (to the APC). I’m not sure they will come to me.

“They have been trying to lobby Femi Fani-Kayode, a very strong member of the APC. But I know Femi very well, he’ll just be polite. He has taken his stand against ‘back-ballers’; he will not subscribe to such.

“I also know that they invited a female APC leader and I’m sure she’s not going to leave the APC. They are calling other prominent APC members for discussions. They are very desperate and I don’t know how that will make them to win elections. ”

Atiku, also told SUNDAY PUNCH that PDP would fail in seeking his return to the party.

His media aide, Mr. Garba Shehu, said, “Atiku Abubakar is not a candidate for that kind of meeting. There’s absolute, no chance. It’s a zero chance.”

Another APC leader, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, said despite the moves by the ruling party, its members were still defecting to the opposition party.

The lawmaker, who is representing Ondo-North Senatorial District, said, “Five of their governors have come and we are going to get more; 12 of their senators have come, we are going to get more; 37 of the representatives have come, we will still get more.”

Efforts to reach the National Publicity Secretary, PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh and his deputy, Abdullahi Jalo, for comments on Friday proved abortive, as their telephone lines indicated that they were switched off. Text messages sent to them also got no response.

Similarly, efforts to reach Mohammed were not successful. He did not pick calls made to his mobile number on Friday while a test message and electronic message sent to him by our correspondent were not replied