Ogbulafor: Jonathan ‘completely excluded’ past PDP chairmen

Vincent Ogbulafor, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has identified “complete exclusion” of past national chairmen of the party as one of the reasons why President Goodluck Jonathan lost the March 28 presidential election.

Ogbulafor, who once predicted that PDP would rule the country for the next 60 years, also said the feat would have been possible if the party held its house together. He therefore urged other members of the party’s national working committee to join Adamu Mu’azu and Tony Anenih in voluntarily resigning.

He was Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Sunday.

“The resignation of the national chairman and the chairman of the board of trustees of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu and Chief Tony Aninih, respectively, is a welcome development,” he said.

‘’I feel happy about their resignation because I feel they did so in the interest of the party.  So, I feel it is better for all the committee members to voluntarily resign if they love the party and want it to survive.

“They should resign in the interest of the party and pave the way for fresh hands to pull the party out of the woods and re-position it ahead of the 2019 general election.”

Ogbulafor urged the committee to accept responsibility for the party’s woeful performance in the 2015 general election and the failure to deliver a second tenure for Jonathan.

“The party played the politics of hate and exclusion. Past national chairmen were completely excluded and were never invited to offer our own ideas on how to deliver Jonathan.

“When I was the chairman, I controlled 28 states and a majority in the national assembly, and also won additional four states for the party. Some of us performed better and have good ideas on how to keep PDP in power for as long as I predicted.

“I made the prediction in clear conscience and realisation that it was achievable, given that PDP controlled 28 states, majority in the national assembly and local government administration. So, there is nothing that could have stopped PDP if we were able to control the line-up.’’

He blamed the woes befalling the party on the emergence of a “reform group”, saying that the group created factions within it.

He also said incessant change in the leadership, with five chairmen so far produced within a space of five years after his exit, was counter-productive.

“Since I left office, PDP has changed its chairmen five times. This is a pointer that all is not well with the party.

“This is why I am calling on the NWC members to quit without compulsion to pave the way for fresh blood that will bring vibrancy and help to move the party forward.”

He said that the incoming governors, who would be the financiers of the party, would also wish to inherit a fresh NWC, populated by new faces.

Speaking on his recent visit to John Oyegun, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he said he only wanted to congratulate Oyegun on his party’s electoral victory, in the spirit of sportsmanship.

“I am not planning to leave PDP in view of the current challenges,” he said.

“I feel happy that the presidency went to the north, particularly Katsina, the home state of late Yar’Adua, who died in office without completing his tenure and the slot for the north.”