This, among other reasons, was what informed the decision taken by the different organs of the PDP when they unanimously endorsed Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party for the 2015 general election.
Party sources, who provided clarification on the issue, said following the endorsement of Jonathan, which shall be ratified at the National Convention on December 6, the PDP has decided to make it the norm by automatically endorsing a sitting president as is the case in other countries such as the United States of America, where the presidential system of government is in practice.
Last week, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who gave some insight into why the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) supported the position of the PDP Governors’ Forum in endorsing Jonathan, said it was aimed at maintaining the democratic norms in endorsing all presidents and prime ministers that have performed creditably in office.
Ekweremadu had explained: “We are borrowing from other democracies, including the United States of America, where a sitting president, who has done so well is expected to be rewarded by his party with a ticket.
“So we are building a tradition which we hope that those who will come after us will be able to imbibe. This is also within the tenets of democracy, not only in Nigeria but in other parts of the world.”
Other reasons advanced by party sources include the fact that PDP chieftains wanted to avoid the huge costs associated with the conduct of a fresh presidential primary both for the aspirants and the sitting president who would already have an undue advantage over other contestants.
A party source explained that it would be cheaper to channel resources to the presidential campaign and the election proper instead of wasting them on a primary that consumes considerable time, energy and resources.
Also, the endorsement of the president was seen as a clear way to stem divisions within the party as was the case after the 2011 presidential primary when former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who had emerged the consensus candidate of the North, lost out to Jonathan.
After his defeat at the 2011 PDP presidential primary, Atiku refused to concede defeat and did not congratulate Jonathan after his victory at the primary.
This, a party source explained, caused divisions and raised suspicions among party members.
“The 2011 presidential election caused a division between the supporters of President Jonathan and that of the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar,” the source said, adding that had it not been for the tactical manner the division was managed, it could have caused problems for the party.
“This is not the case with most advanced nations where the losers in a presidential election immediately concede defeat and congratulate the winner.
“We could even have instances where some losers could end up working for the opposition during the election proper in order to settle scores,” the source added.
On why PDP did not extend the sole candidacy to governors that have performed creditably, the PDP source said it is in the pipeline, but added that this was certainly not the time for it.
“It is under consideration for future elections but not for the 2015 election,” he said.
He explained that a committee had been set up to extend similar automatic tickets to the governors of the party, who had performed creditably in the future, but said there was no urgency now because only two PDP governors – Gombe and Kaduna – would be seeking re-election in February 2015.
All others, except Bayelsa and Kogi, he said, would be concluding their second terms come May 2015, making them ineligible to contest next year.
Meanwhile, the PDP yesterday was forced to retract its statement on Vice-President Namadi Sambo, stating that it had an implicit satisfaction in the working relationship between the president and his deputy.
On Sunday, the party had cast a cloud of uncertainty over the vice-president re-contesting next year’s election when it stated that Sambo’s chances of becoming Jonathan’s running mate in the 2015 presidential election were dependent on the president.
However, the party said yesterday that Sambo was part of the winning team in which it has overwhelming confidence.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, said: “PDP has overwhelming confidence in a winning team that has demonstrably transformed Nigeria in less than four years, despite challenges.”
Surprisingly, the party blamed the media for trying to create a rift between Jonathan and Sambo, adding: “There is no doubt whatsoever that the vice-president has the implicit confidence of the president. The PDP is therefore very pleased that they are working together in actualising the transformation agenda to the popular acclaim of both Nigerians and the international community.
“We wish to place on record as well that the 66th NEC (National Executive Committee) meeting of our great party, which endorsed President Jonathan as the sole candidate of the PDP for the 2015 general election, responsibly reasoned and this decision on the outstanding performance of the Jonathan presidency of which Vice-President Sambo is an integral part of.
“This motion which was unanimously endorsed by NEC left no room for any form of speculation, as Senator Jim Nwobodo, who seconded it, expressly commended both the president and his deputy for lifting the banner of the PDP very high, while praying the NEC to approve the motion.”
The party added that its statement was to clarify obvious misinterpretations arising from its position at a press conference Sunday, where it averred that the president was yet to accept the sole presidential candidacy offered by the NEC of the party.
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