North deceived Nigerians, pushed Jonathan- Senator Jibrin Wali

Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Jibrin Wali, yesterday said that the PDP failed in the last elections because the northern leaders deceived Nigerians and forced former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 general election after completing the remaining two years of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
The BoT chairman, who stated this in Lapai, Niger State, during the wedding ceremony of daughter of former Governor of Niger State, Mr. Abdulkadir Kure, said the party is ready to correct the mistake of 2015 which cost it the election by zoning the Presidency to the North.
He also insisted that the tenure of Ali Modu Sheriff remains next month, saying that the Port Harcourt convention will produce the next chairman of the party, which he said, will not come from the North.
According to him: “We deceived ourselves from the beginning, that is why we failed the elections and we paid for it very costly. We deceived the northerners, the people of the party. We are all party to the downfall of the party.
“Most of us that served under Jonathan helped to manoeuvre and cheat our brothers from the North. This time, we are seeking for forgiveness from the North on what we have done.‎‎
“Let me tell you, during the late Yar’Adua, he was the first northern PDP President and it remained only two years for his completion. The northerners insisted that they must be given the opportunity to complete the two years because it was their time according to the zoning formula of the party. But that didn’t happen so all of us are guilty. We went ahead and push Jonathan into it‎ and this annoyed the North.
“Why are you trying to annoy the North again by asking them to take the chairmanship of the party. The party decided to compensate the North for the injustice done to them for not giving them that position of Presidency. Now, the President should go to the North. Why the maneuvering now to deprive the North of the Presidency.”
Speaking on Ali Modu Sheriff lobbying to remain as party chairman, Wali said: “How can we (PDP leadership) agree that the North should produce northern President and at the same time asking them to produce party chairman. It is not going to work. This is political cheating and impunity, which destroyed the party in 2015.
“In our committee’s findings, we discovered that there was impunity in our party; there was lack of party internal-democracy; there was godfatherism; lack of respect for the constitution of the party; lack of respect for the zoning and if this zoning has been given to the North, why are we saying it will not be possible.”
“Now, we have Ali Modu Sheriff as the Chairman. What is it that the North is looking for in the chairmanship that other zones cannot have? ‎Why have all those who laid down the rules refused to come out and talk‎? Rather, they are leaving me as BOT chairman alone to talk on this issue.”
He said that he does not have anything against Ali Modu Sheriff but the truth is that the North has had enough shot at the chairmanship position of the PDP since 1999, saying: “Does it mean that other zones cannot produce the chairmanship.