by crossriverwatch admin
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has challenged the governors that formed the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) to produced their evidence where President Jonathan agreed to go for only one term as the President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria or retrace their steps.
Speaking in an exclusive interview recently with some selected journalists in his Itigidi country home, Imoke said “Let them produce the evidence of the agreement if there was any”.
The governors, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Muritala Nyako of Adamawa, Aliyu Wamako of Sokoto, Abdulfathai Ahmed of Kwara, Sule Lamido of Jigawa and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, popularly referred to as G7 are bent on stopping President Jonathan’s second term ambition in 2015 due to what they insist is an agreement Jonathan signed to hand over power by 2015.
They have told the President to drop his 2015 presidential ambition as part of their conditions to return back to the old PDP which the Presidency rejected.
Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State fired the first salvo when he granted an interview in Abuja that President Jonathan had an agreement with the governors not to seek re-election by 2015 but Imoke has challenged the governor to produce such agreement
“Let them produce the so call agreement they had with Mr President.” Said Imoke
Imoke said all the perceived problems in the party were as a result of 2015 personal ambition of some the governors.
He said as far as he knows as “a founding member of the party, member of the National Working Committee NEC and the South South Coordinator, 2011 Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organization, there was no such agreement signed by the president.
“We are used to disagreements in PDP and we know how to use internal mechanisms in solving those disagreements”.
When reminded that the current one was getting out of hand, Imoke said “when we get to the bridge, we shall cross it” adding that the President out of his busy schedule has personally met with the G7 Governors on 3 occasions in his reconciliatory effort with an assurance that October 7th meeting will be fruitful.
“Forget about what you are reading in the news, the PDP umbrella is very big and I can assure you that at the end of the day, we will still remain as one united PDP Family.” He said.
The G7 Governors and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had during the last PDP special convention staged a walk out from the Eagle Square in Abuja to protest their grievances with the party and subsequently formed a new PDP with party organs in place.
Imoke who is considered a diehard loyalist of President Jonathan has since been strategically functioning as a machinery to mediate between the factions.
He belongs to Jona Jang faction of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) that had 16 votes against 19 votes recorded by Rotimi Ameachi, his estranged friend and political associate of decades.
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