Attack on Jonathan: New PDP members disagree

Cracks are beginning to appear in the New Peoples Democratic Party as some of its members are unhappy over the faction’s recent criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan’s handling of the economy, SUNDAY PUNCH reports.

It was gathered in Abuja on Friday that signs that all was not well within the New PDP manifested when some of the governors grumbled about how its leadership is fighting the Jonathan administration.

Governors in the New PDP are Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwanso(Kano),  Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Sule Lamido(Jigawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed(Kwara),  Babangida Aliyu(Niger) and  Aliyu Wamakko(Sokoto).

The Abubakar Baraje-led New PDP had in a statement raised the alarm that the Jonathan-led administration was presiding over a collapsing economy.

A statement issued by the faction in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Eze, said with the massive scale of officially-induced oil theft, the dwindling returns from oil and massive looting going on at the federal level, Nigeria was surely on the brink of economic collapse.

But one of the governors, who spoke with one of our correspondents in confidence, said Baraje’s statement was “too strong.”

He said though they were fighting the President based on principles, it had not reached the stage of painting his entire administration black, adding that all of them were still members of the same ruling party.

The governor said, “I read what was published about the way the President is running the economy and I felt bad.

“Though we are not happy with him (Jonathan) based on some issues, which we have told him, I think we should not have gone to the extent of painting the entire PDP government black.

“With that statement, we are giving enough campaign material to the opposition to use against us in 2015. Even if we later settle our differences, can we withdraw that damaging statement?”

However, Eze insisted that there was nothing wrong with the statement.

He said “All of us are Nigerians. As an individual, are you happy that your children who are supposed to be in school are at home because the Academic Staff Union of Universities is on strike?

“If anybody is not happy and they want us to continue the way the government is going and expect us to clap our hands while the people are suffering, then some of us cannot be part of it.”

The main Peoples Democratic Party has however called on the aggrieved members of the party not to destroy the house they built because of anger.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ibrahim Jalo, said, “My appeal is that these people should not destroy the house they built with us.”

Punch