"I WON'T INSULT BUHARI, INSTEAD I WILL QUIT" - PDP CHAIRMAN, MU'AZU TO PRESIDENT JONATHAN AND HIS CAMPAIGN TEAM

Adamu Mu'azu

The recent murmurings within the ruling party of Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] over the supposed abrupt resignation of the national chairman, Alhaji Mu’azu may have not been completely false as reported by the PDP in their press release. Information obtained from a competent source close to Mu'azu indicates that he had announced his resignation to the leadership of the Jonathan presidential campaign team following a heated ‘argument’ over the new campaign strategy adopted by the PDP presidential campaign team – and his unwillingness to play along.

Available information reveals that Muazu was asked to resign from the seat of PDP national chairman because he refused to join “the train of those insulting Buhari”. And, according to sources who spoke to Muazu yesterday, the embattled PDP chairman was willing to walk away from the seat if the PDP insist on having him resign over his unwillingness to be critical of Buhari. “If PDP wants me out, I am ready to throw the cap away”.

The members of the presidential campaign team had agreed to pep up their campaign strategy in a manner to go after the integrity of the All Progressive Congress [APC] presidential candidate, Malam Mohammadu Buhari and to expose the possible skeletons that may exist inside his closet – but the national chairman of the PDP – who was reported to be in agreement with the frontal approach on the APC top boss, Bola Tinubu – was however not in agreement with such approach being adopted for the presidential flag bearer.

“He called their bluff” said a source within the PDP national working committee. The PDP did not anticipate Muazu’s eagerness to throw in the towel and accept his sack in defiance to their request of him to be critical and vocal against Buhari. “It caught them by surprise and they had to do a retreat away from their demand for him to resign”. The PDP presidential campaign team are not willing to undergo the crisis that the resignation of its national chairman would generate. For this reason, the PDP backpedalled quickly with an apology to the national chairman. It took the intervention of the Emir of Bauchi, Malam Adamu for the national chairman to consider the apology tendered by the PDP presidential team.

The emir of Bauchi had been the spiritual godfather and a significant political influence to Alhaji Muazu through his political career. So much so that it is believed that Adamu was responsible for Muazu’s second tenure while he served as the governor of Bauchi state.

It is also gathered from a source with the PDP presidential campaign office in Asokoro that the national chairman may have had other more sinister reasons for his refusal to be critical of the APC presidential candidate. Muazu, according to gathered information, was in ‘closed door’ negotiations with the President over certain demands against the electoral season of 2019. Muazu had wanted commitments from President Jonathan that he would be presented at the PDP presidential candidate in 2019. He wanted for the President to dump his vice president, Namadi Sambo – and to endorse him for the 2019 presidential race.

President Jonathan was reported to not having heeded to the request by the national chairman. Instead, President told him to play his role as the national chairman – and allow the political dice to roll naturally to the 2019 electoral season.

This did not sit well with the national chairman who expected to blackmail the President into signing a deal in exchange for his support. For this reason, the national chairman resolved to remain a docile participate in the 2015 presidential campaign exercise. Security reports available to the presidency point to ‘fuzzy’ activities around the national chairman pertaining to possible anti-party activities. Insiders within the presidency suspect Muazu to be hobnobbing with the opposition party – in exchange for a prearranged deal. But the information has yet to be conclusively verified.

Presently, the seat of the national chairman of PDP hangs in limbo. It remains unsure if the President will pull the trigger and let Muazu out the door. What is clear however is the concerted effort mounted by concerned stakeholders to ensure the unwanted crisis is muted completely. What may be irreversible is the possible stain on the continued chairmanship of Muazu – as a true PDP patriot and a Jonathan ally.