Jonathan May Lose Bayelsa As PDP Crisis Deepens

President Goodluck Jonathan risks losing his home state to the opposition in the forthcoming elections except the feud in Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is resolved, indications emerged yesterday.

The crisis rocking the party assumed dangerous dimension at the weekend following suspension of the party chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (retd), over allegations that he diverted ₦70 million donated to the PDP by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke.

But the chairman denied wrong doing in distributing the largesse.

He rather blamed his travails on the second term ambition of Governor Seriake Dickson.

Inokoba was said to have claimed that his refusal to sack some loyal members of the party as directed by the governor was responsible for his travails.

He specifically claimed the governor ordered him to suspend party members accused of belonging to the camp of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

The deepening crisis in the party originated from the reported ambition of the First Lady to oust Dickson and replace him with her preferred choice.

The First Lady was said to have hijacked the state chapter of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) as a platform to carry out activities aimed at actualising her ambition.

To fight back, the governor has been weeding off persons believed to be loyal to the First Lady in his cabinet.

Though Jonathan had declared those against the governor his enemies, it was gathered that the inability of the president to call his wife to order had fuelled the party’s impasse.

A source from the party said the president risks protest votes in the forthcoming elections unless he takes practical steps to end the imbroglio.

The source, who spoke in confidence, said the supporters of Dickson were not happy with the excesses of Jonathan’s wife and her plots against the governor.

"We have never seen this kind of scenario before. The governor is working to give Mrs. Jonathan and her husband a second term while the First Lady is working to deny Dickson a second term or even sack him before the end of his tenure.

"The governor is working to maintain peace in the state and to ensure that the President is not disgraced at home while Mrs. Jonathan is turning the entire state against the governor. There must be protest votes if these things continue", he said.

Also, Ijaw youths from the state argued that the suspension of the chairman was ill-timed and capable of affecting the chances of the President at the poll.

The Youths, drawn from the eight local government areas in the state, said the allegations of financial impropriety against the chairman were diversionary.

The youths under the aegis of Niger Delta United for Jonathan (NDUJ) said it was unfortunate that the president and Allison-Madueke were being dragged into the financial scandal.

NDUJ, in a statement in Yenagoa signed by its Secretary, Azibaayam Iborisi, and Public Relations Officer, Ebimiewei Timi, insisted that the decision of the State Executive Committee (SEC) was questionable.

The statement said: "It is particularly worrisome that those orchestrating the crisis behind the scene have decided to drag the good name of the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke, into the crisis of confidence between the state governor and the presidency.

"Considering that the said rally was meant to galvanise the home base of President Goodluck Jonathan, the idea of igniting a controversy over a donation less than a week after the rally is clearly a deliberate act of sabotage and a disservice to the people of the state.

"It is, however, instructive that while those claiming to have suspended the chairman are alleging sharp practices with the said donation, the embattled chairman claims his woes are as a result of his refusal to do Governor Seriake Dickson’s bidding to suspend certain highly placed party men, perceived to be loyal to Mrs. Patience Jonathan from the PDP at the state level for alleged anti-party.

"The question is why the hurry to suspend the chairman, knowing fully well that it is less than five weeks to the presidential election and the party needs to keep a united front, a call Mr. President himself made in his speech at the rally."

The group added: "We are convinced that it is a deliberate ploy to drag innocent and respectable Bayelsans into the fray, considering that the many attempts at maligning the first Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has not yielded the desired results.

"We therefore advise the Bayelsa PDP SEC members and their sponsor, Governor Seriake Dickson, to desist from further calling the innocent woman’s name in his bid to bring on board a pliable man as party chairman and also tender a public apology to the Honourable Minister for their indiscretion".