PDP: Jonathan has not resigned party’s membership

Debo Ologunagba, spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says former President Goodluck Jonathan, has not resigned his membership of the party.

There have been speculations that the former president had joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) — the platform on which President Muhammadu Buhari defeated him in 2015.

A coalition of northern groups procured the APC presidential nomination and expression of interest forms for the former president.

However, Ikechukwu Eze, his media aide, said Jonathan did not give his consent for the purchase of the forms.

Subsequently, a report by NAN said “a dependable source in Jonathan’s camp” said the former president had registered with the APC at his ward in Otuoke, Bayelsa state.

But reacting to this on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Friday, Ologunagba said he is unaware of Jonathan’s resignation from the party.

Ologunagba said he considered Jonathan’s defection to the APC as a mere speculation, adding that it will be better if the former president addresses the situation himself.

“As far as today, I am not aware of his resignation from the membership of the party [PDP]” he said.

“I would assume it is safe to say that he is a member of the party, if events follow thereafter, we can speak to that.

“Membership of the party is personal. Membership of the party is at the ward level.

“I can’t speak for him. I don’t speak for the former president.”

On ditching zoning, the party spokesperson said while the “consensus option” is still on the table, the party has left the race open because it is confident that only the competent candidate will emerge.

He said the party’s reason for ditching zoning is not to favour northern hopefuls, adding that it is premature to speculate that the southern hopefuls are jostling for the vice-presidential slot.

“We haven’t zoned to the north and we are not expecting that a candidate from the north would emerge. We have left it open because we have competent aspirants all over the country and that the consensus option is available,” he said.

“You can never predetermine where the candidate will come from. It’s a process that’s just starting, you can overreach what may or may not happen. 

“The imagination that a part of the country will make PDP win will be inconsistent and far from the truth. We are determined. It is clear that there will be a free, fair, credible and transparent process for producing our candidate for election. 

“It will be premature for people to start suggesting that aspirants from the south are jostling for the vice-president slot.”

On Wednesday, the PDP announced that its presidential ticket would not be zoned to any region.