Rejection of zoning, Jonathan's adoption killed PDP — BoT Chairman

The Acting Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Dr. Bello Mohammed, has opened up on what he considered to have led to the near death of his party. He said the death of zoning in 2011, destroyed the party, adding that the issue was more compounded with the adoption of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party in 2015. Mohammed, who is a former Minister of Defence and Acting National Chairman of the PDP, said this in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Emeka Nwapa, in Abuja on Wednesday. He attributed the rapid decline in the fortunes of the party to the abrogation of its policy of rotation and zoning in 2011. He lamented that this aberration severely undermined the principle of justice and equity on which the party was founded in 1998. The BOT chairman added that the shameful defeat in the last Presidential election was the sad price the party had to pay for jettisoning its policy of rotation and zoning. Mohammed, who noted that the shortcoming led to widespread crises of confidence in the party, said the zoning policy was a major attraction to the party, which offered all members equity, justice and a sense of belonging. Curiously though, it was Mohammed, who moved the motion for the adoption of Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party during the last presidential election. His motion was seconded by a former Governor of Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo. Mohammed and other leaders of the party brushed aside every efforts made to allow other presidential aspirants to contest the party’s presidential primary with the former President. But Mohammed said in the statement on Wednesday, “When the founding fathers formed the party in 1998, they established the principle of justice and equity, whereby, power resided with the people, who could decide who became what at any point in time. “But overtime, the party swerved away and breached the principle thereby disrupting its internal democracy. “When in 2011, the party abandoned its zoning formula, the party dealt itself a major blow because that action served the first notice that it had disconnected with the masses. So, we must go back to the culture of zoning and rotation of offices. “The PDP remains the only true national party in the country with its flag in all nooks and crannies, whose members are assured that they can always aspire to any available position as long as zoning and rotation hold sway as a cardinal policy of the party.”