Indications have emerged that former President Goodluck Jonathan and some of the old power blocks within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are against Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris contesting for a second term on the party’s ticket.
The former President and his supporters accuse Wada of being responsible for the party’s defeat by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the presidential election.
A highly placed source who spoke in confidence said that the former president believes that Wada supported the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari because he is a Muslim.
According to the source another reason the Jonathan is bitter with Wada, was because of his visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his Abeokuta home in Ogun State, at the height of the presidential campaign.
Others against Wada’s return according to our source include former PDP national chairman, Dr Ahmadu Ali and former Governor Ibrahim Idris.
Wada lost in his ward and local government during the last presidential election, despite the alleged “huge war chest” made available to him by the presidency to prosecute the election.
The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) on Wednesday postponed the governorship primary in kogi State from Thursday to Monday, September 14.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement attributed the postponement to logistics issues.
The party is shopping for a replacement for Wada, which is the real reason for the last day postponement of the governorship primary, said the source.
He said: “Jonathan believes that Wada supported Buhari because he is a Muslim and that he went to visit Obasanjo before the general election.
These are some of the reasons why you are seeing what we are witnessing. Ahmadu Ali is angry… They argued that Wada deliberately lost his ward and local government in favour of Buhari.
“Idris needs N4 billion which he used to finance Wada’s2003 election and that Wada has not paid him all the while, but that he needs the money now”.
Despite the perceived outcome of the state party congress which favoured Wada, the fear that the national secretariat might spring its own delegates list during the primary is another source of worry the governor’s camp.
Hundreds of party delegates massed at the Government House Lokoja early Thursday morning, with rumours of plans to take their protest against the unfolding development to Abuja.
“You see the large number of delegates, but the truth is that they have an equally large number of delegates on their list at the national headquarters and this they can bring. Nobody is sure,” said
another source.
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