Jonathan betrayed one-term pact – Ojougboh

National Vice Chairman, South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, yesterday, blamed the failure of former President Goodluck Jonathan to abide by the zoning principle of the party for its loss at the last presidential election.

In an interview in Abuja, Ojougboh admitted that Jonathan agreed to serve for only one term in office when he was campaigning for presidency in 2011, but regretted that he couldnot summon the courage to resist the advises by some party leaders by sticking to the agreement. “Jonathan himself said he would do only four years.

Emirs, leaders and stakeholders in the country accepted that Jonathan would do only four years so that the power could shift to the North. When time came, a lot of macabre dances started; people started putting pressure here and there and people started encouraging Jonathan to contest.

Unfortunately, Jonathan didn’t have the nerves to say no, I will keep my agreement,” Ojougboh said. He recalled that there was an unwritten agreement with PDP members to rotate the presidency between the North and the South, and argued that Jonathan’s candidacy in 2015 was a breach of that zoning formula.

“The North didn’t take kindly to it; they said no, this is not what we agreed. Even the Christian North that used to be very friendly, especially the North-Central, said we had an agreement. Some governors, about five of them, left the party because of that; they saw what was happening.

So it was this pressure that the North now agreed that they must take power back, that it was their turn,” he added.

According to him, the situation was further worsened when the two strong were presidential candidates are from the North and South.

He, however, said that the PDP had learnt its lessons and would not take the zoning arrangement enshrined in its constitution for granted and expressed confidence that the party would bounce back.

He also questioned the rationale behind the release of bailout fund to the state governments by President Muhammadu Buhari without appropriation from the National Assembly.