Govs, no threat to Senators’ re-election bids – Akpabio

Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio

Peoples Democratic Party governors on Thursday said they were no threat to   the ambitions of the party’s serving senators seeking to return to the Senate next year.

The governors, through their Chairman, Godswill Akpabio, however told the senators that they would not     surrender their leadership of the party in their respective states to anyone.

Akpabio, in an interview with journalists in Abuja after submitting his forms to contest the senatorial seat for the North-West Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State, argued   that there was no basis for the protests by the PDP senators over the issue.

The governor pointed out that the number of governors seeking to go into the National Assembly was few and therefore should not be a threat to any senator.

The PDP senators   had on Tuesday and Wednesday embarked on protest sittings and vowed to continue so until the Presidency curbed the autocratic powers of the governors, whom they accused of hijacking the party’s ward congresses in their respective states.

The senators were said to be demanding that at least, two sitting senators must be allowed to return to the Senate in 2015.

The anger shown by the senators during their sittings on both days was said to have rattled the Presidency and the national leadership of the PDP because the Senate was   considered as an important ally of the Federal Government and the PDP.

This action led to an emergency meeting between the leadership of the PDP and   Jonathan   in Abuja on Wednesday night.

The President was represented at the meeting by his deputy, Namadi Sambo.

But Akpabio, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum   said, “The Senate has about 109 members and the serving governors of PDP who are interested in going to the Senate are not up to nine.

“So, we have at least 100 chances for incumbent senators and if it is possible for us to return more than 75 per cent of our senators to the National Assembly, it will help a lot in legislation to deepen democracy.

“So, there is no threat to any senator where the governors of PDP have interest to go into the Senate because I believe just like the sky, there is enough space for every bird to fly and I think politics is about people and the people’s choice should be allowed to prevail.

“I am very hopeful that it will be resolved but note that with 109 spaces in the National Assembly, the number of governors showing interest to go into the National Assembly are not up to nine.”

He described the crisis   as an internal affair that would be resolved through dialogue.

“There is no reason why anybody should be precluded from showing interest in any position or from having any ambition on the account of either of his position as a senator or on the account of his position as a governor.”

He also explained that the present crisis   was only planned by those who   feel threatened by the achievement of those contesting the seat.

“Some of the noise you are hearing are orchestrated by some people who think that some of their governors performance must have threatened their interest but definitely, like they say in the bible, in my father’s house, there are many mansions there and I think everything will be resolved through dialogue and at the end, the PDP will be the better for it,” Akpabio added.

It was however gathered in Abuja that the PDP national leadership was in a dilemma on how to accommodate the demands of the   senators.

A member of the National Working Committee of the PDP, who attended the Wednesday night meeting,     said though the party would make concession to the Senators, he wondered whether their demands could be met.

Apart from this, he said members of the party’s caucus in the House of Representatives were equally making some demands.

The NWC member said, “The President, through his deputy, asked that we should meet with the national leadership of the party and discuss on their demands.

“But I doubt if we can keep to their demands. Remember that members of our party from the House are also making similar demands.

“The President had mandated our national chairman to enter into talks with PDP Governors to ensure that at least two senators from their states returned to the senate in 2015, but I don’t think that will be feasible in some states.”

He added that the party and the Presidency were in a hurry to end the problem in the Senate in order not to paralyse government activities.

The PDP and the Presidency, it was gathered, were of the opinion that aggrieved senators could defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress, thereby putting pressure on the government with their activities in the Senate.

PUNCH.