Former Governor of Niger state, Aliyu Babangida explains why PDP Governors in the north worked against Jonathan in 2015 election

Former Governor of Niger state, Aliyu Babangida has explained why Northern Governors who were in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worked against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid.

Speaking after he was suspended by the PDP for anti-party activities including working against Jonathan in 2015, Aliyu said the former President reneged on an agreement not to seek a second term.

He stated that since the governors in the North felt their region would be shortchanged if Jonathan had succeeded, they rose stoutly to insist on the enforcement of the agreement.

Aliyu said;

“Following the sudden passage of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on May 5th, 2010, the leadership of the then governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with the state governors under the flagship of the party had series of meetings on the presidency and the future of our great party.

“All the governors in the North under the PDP supported the then Vice President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to complete the remaining years of Yar’Adua’s tenure and to contest the next presidential election as a sole candidate of our great party.

“However, midway, President Goodluck Jonathan insisted to run for the office in 2015 against the grain of our earlier agreement.

“On that premise, we opposed Jonathan. But all along, Goodluck Jonathan had enjoyed every support from the governors in the north and the entire region.

“As chairman of the 19 Northern States Governors Forum, the task was on my shoulders to voice out the position of the North which stood disadvantaged by the demise of Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua and the insistence that Jonathan should run for the office of president in 2015.

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“We acted in good spirit and argued our points based on principle and on the subsisting agreement we had with Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. That agreement was written and accepted by all. It is, therefore, wrong for anyone to erroneously say that I, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu had opposed Goodluck Jonathan.”