IBB threatens to quit PDP

Former military president Ibrahim Babangida has written to the national secretariat of the PDP threatening to quit the party unless it abides by the power rotation formula in deference to last week’s court judgment that said the policy was binding.

In a letter to national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo yesterday, Babangida said the party’s national executive committee was duty bound to respect the court and enforce the zoning policy. This would mean stopping President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid and allowing only Northerners to seek its presidential ticket for next year’s elections.

An FCT high court, headed by Chief Judge Justice Lawal Gummi, last week ruled in a case brought before it by a presidential aspirant, Sani Aminu Dutsinma, that the provision for power rotation in the PDP constitution was binding, though the court stopped short of asking the party to enforce the policy. The PDP leadership said the ruling was in line with its resolve to retain the policy but allow President Jonathan to seek nomination.

“If the Party has become so helpless in the face of these gross violations of its own constitution by its officers and its highest elected representative, then many of us shall have no alternative but to reconsider our continued membership of the Party,” Babangida said in the letter to Nwodo, a copy of which was circulated to newsmen.

Section 7.2(c) of the PDP constitution says the party “shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.” The FCT high court said though this means the policy remained binding on the party, the court lacked powers to enforce it.

Babangida told Nwodo and the PDP National Executive Committee to enforce the policy, in deference to the court judgment.

“I urge the National Executive Committee of the Party to enforce the constitution of the party in its totality in the forthcoming election. To do otherwise is to condone this attempt at a gross and deliberate violation of the constitution of the party.

“To do otherwise is tantamount to a declaration that the National Executive Committee of the Party rejects the principles of equity, justice and fairness enshrined in the PDP constitution. It means that they reject the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and that they are not prepared to enforce it in so far as it relates to the office of President.

“It means that they are opposed to the creation of socio-political conditions conducive to natural peace and unity by ensuring fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.

“It simply means that they reject and are therefore not prepared to conform to the principles of power shift and power sharing by rotating key political offices amongst the diverse peoples of our country and devolving powers equitably between the Federal, State and Local Governments in the spirit of federation,” he said.