A good number of prominent northern politicians and public officers are turning down offers to play leading roles in his campaign ahead of the February 2015 election.
The development, The Nation learnt, is stalling the composition of the president’s campaign teams in that part of the country.
His campaign in the north has also not been able to match that of General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the north in terms of poster and bill boards’ display.
A party source admitted that Jonathan’s re-election bid is on the low in the north because of lack of action and information of the candidate.
The source, a chieftain of the party in Lagos State, said that many politicians from the north are cautious of being identified with Jonathan.
He said: “There are a lot of issues surrounding his candidacy as it affects northern interests and desire. This is keeping his associates and friends here in check,” a Kaduna-born former minister told The Nation.
We also learnt that effort by the Ahmadu Ali-led Presidential Campaign team of the PDP to draft PDP chiefs into its zonal and state chapters in the north, especially in the Northwest and Northeast, has not succeeded largely because of the uncooperative attitude of many of those earlier tipped for the assignment.
“Even ministers, party leaders and other public figures are tactically dodging the president’s campaign assignments in the north. At a meeting of chieftains convened by the presidential campaign team to discuss the composition of state and zonal structures, some northern politicians present betrayed their fears when they moved that fresh faces be appointed as coordinators while they support the campaign from less visible positions.
“This came as a shock to many of those present at the meeting and was roundly rejected by all. But it was a confirmation of the situation in that region. It needs to be dealt with and I am sure the party is taking necessary steps to tackle the unimpressive body language of many of our prominent chieftains in the north towards President Jonathan’s campaign.”
Other party sources said the situation is responsible for the delay in constituting the state and zonal chapters of the campaign team.
According to an official of the party in the Southwest, contrary to the scramble for the president’s campaign jobs in the south, northern chieftains are not too keen about being named as members of Jonathan’s campaign teams in their various states and zones.
“I learnt that a former minister in Nasarawa State rejected his appointment as the head of the campaign in his state. In Kano State, two former commissioners were said to have dodged being named as part of Jonathan’s campaign. The party is working round the clock to address the development though,” the source said.
A number of reasons have been adduced for the rejection of the re-election campaign jobs in the north.
One is what a source described as the prevalent mood of the people of the region occasioned by emergence of General Buhari. Another is the fear of being labelled as anti-north.
The voice of Buhari’s massive supporters in the north is drowning that of Jonathan in the zone.
“The feeling here is that Buhari and the APC represent the best opportunity for power to return to the region and as such all northerners should line up behind the General and his party. Even in states where PDP is in power, the party’s chieftains are cautious about preaching Jonathan’s reelection so as not to offend the sensibilities of their people,” another source said.
“And with leading northern socio-political groups like the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) unambiguous in their choice of a northerner as president, many northerners are scared of being seen campaigning for Jonathan in 2015,” Mallam Abu Halidu Ahmed, Coordinator of the Voters’ Right Agenda (VoRA) in Kano State, said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on Thursday, December 11, inaugurated its National Campaign Council, NCC, for the 2015 general election. Alhaji Adamu Muazu, PDP’s National Chairman, is to chair the campaign while the former Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, is to serve as the Director-General of the council.
Other members include President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark; Chief Tony Anenih, Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees; Prince Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman.
The rest are former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, who is the Deputy Director-General, head office; Honourable Kabiru Turaki, Deputy Director General North; Mr. Peter Obi, Deputy Director-General, South; Chief Godswill Akpabio, Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum; Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and Retired Brigadier General James Arogbofa, Chief of Staff to the President.
The zonal coordinators are Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, South- South; Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, South-East; Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, South-West; Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, North-Central; Governor Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, North-East; and Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, North-West.
Past chairmen of the party were not left out as Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed were named as members of the council. Also in the council are Chief Olabode George and Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, SA Political Affairs to the president.
The party had promised to release the campaign itinerary as well as members of the state and zonal campaign teams in no time. But it appears the unwillingness of some PDP chieftains in the north has slowed down the process.
Efforts to get the reaction of the PDP to the story proved abortive as calls made to the phones of the party’s spokesperson, Olisa Metuh and the national secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, went unanswered.