Why Jonathan Is Ideal Presidential  Candidate For PDP To Pick In 2027 – Group

 By Akeem Oduyoye

A group under the aegis of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan 2027(GEJ2027) has called on the leadership of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) that for the for the unity of the party and success at the 2027 polls, the party  must pick former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan the 2027 Presidential ticket as its consensus candidate

GEJ2027 is a group of concerned members of the PDP worldwide dedicated to two purposes, the persuading Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan GCFR, GCON to heed the call to unite the party and to persuade the party to select him as its consensus candidate for the 2027 Presidential election.

 This was contained in a press statement issued by the group and made available to theroyaltimes.com.

“We the concerned members of the PDP worldwide after due consultation and deliberation have concluded that for the unity of the party and success at the 2027 polls, the party must offer to the former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan the 2027 Presidential ticket as its consensus candidate.  

The group said the party seems to have divided by the aspirations and/or the positions of the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the former Governor of River State, and current FCT Minister, HE Nyesom Wike and ordinary members are being drawn into the unhealthy struggle for power.  

 “We have examined the issue raised by the Integrity Group around zoning and rotation.  We have spoken to some of the founding fathers of the party and they and this Group are unanimous on the fundamentality of zoning and rotation as the bedrock on which the party was built,” the group said.

“The Preamble to the PDP Constitution states inter alia, “The leaders of like-minded political associations in the country prompted by a sense of duty to the nation, assembled in the FCT, Abuja on the 28th July 1998 and resolved (d) to conform with the principles of power shift and power sharing by rotating key political offices amongst the diverse peoples of the country.”  Section 7(3)(c) provides that, “the party shall adhere to the policy of the rotation and zoning of Party and Public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice, and fairness,”    the group added.

According to the group, “It is therefore an irrebuttable fact that the principle of rotation is sacrosanct to the Party.  Atiku et al by their deeds and words confirmed this arrangement in 2011 and 2014, when they challenged Jonathan’s 2011 and 2015 bids.  Given this observations, we have concluded that the 2027 bid by HE Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or any other Northern aspirant is an aberration,”

The letter and the spirit of the PDP Constitution attest to the incongruity of a northern bid.  It is disingenuous for some to now argue that since the Nigerian Constitution enshrines the right of any citizen to contest the presidency, the party cannot prevent any aspirant from whichever zone from contesting.  The founding parents of the party were not unaware of the provision of the Nigerian Constitution when they agreed to rotation and zoning, and until the court decides that rotation and zoning is unconstitutional, we all have to abide by the provisions of the Constitution of the party which we profess to be members and therefore signed up to.

The group said that it believe that the above settles the issue of zoning and rotation, adding that “It is our conclusion that the call for 2027 Presidency to be zoned to the South is incontestable. We are mindful of the fact that no southern candidate has indicated interest in contesting for the seat. Given the division in the party, we believe that the party needs a candidate who belongs neither the Atiku nor the Wike camps, a candidate that can unite the party.” 

The  group added that the candidate must also be able to rebuild support for the party in the Southeast and Southsouth, a region where the PDP has metamorphosised from the leading party in 2011 and 2015, when it scored 81.71% and 78.08% of the vote cast respectively to distant a 3rd in 2023 with just 17% of the vote.

According to the group, the only person with these attributes is  “Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan GCFR, GCON. We are therefore using the media to call on Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan GCFR, GCON to once again heed the call of his party and the country to serve as the President”