A trap set for Adamu Mu’azu when he was appointed, instead of being elected, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nine months ago seems to have stretched full circle, served its purpose, and ready to get rid of him.
Sources in the party disclosed that the Villa is no longer comfortable with Mu’azu and that everything is being done to make him sit up or ship out.
Jonathan’s ambition, Mu’azu’s travail
His travail is connected with the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan, which, in spite of endorsements by various organs of the party, continues to raise hackles with party leaders, mainly from the North.
For Mu’azu, the old adage that ‘uneasy lies the head that wears the crown’ has become very apt. Since he took over from Bamanga Tukur in February, the former Governor of Bauchi State has never had a moment of respite in the real sense of the word.
When he is not battling to satisfy the demands of party stakeholders, he struggles to ward off pressures from PDP governors whose ambition is to pocket the party’s structures in their states.
Outside these headaches, Mu’azu is said to have lost favour with the Presidency which in the first place, appointed him without passing the appropriate channel of electing him at a PDP national convention.
Sources in the party disclosed that the Villa is no longer comfortable with Mu’azu and that everything is being done to make him sit up or ship out.
For him, the burden of leading the PDP appears to be overwhelming, especially since after the ward congresses which generated controversies from all parts of the country.
The man is hardly seen in the office these days. Yet his foes are not relenting because of the fracas over Jonathan’s candidacy.
Rattling tactics
Apart from those who have gone to court to challenge his eligibility to run, there are others, especially Northern aspirants, who insist that Mu’azu should not be given the PDP chairmanship ticket without a contest.
News broke recently that Aso Rock suspects that those working against Jonathan’s interest enjoy the support of Mu’azu.
Mines were laid in his way, one of them a legal action commenced at the Abuja Federal Court by two PDP members, Emmanuel Onu and Ezionye Ndubuisi.
They filed two separate suits in September and October against Mu’azu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) challenging his legitimacy as PDP Chairman.
The plaintiffs later called a press conference at the PDP secretariat in Abuja to announce the withdrawal of the case in the interest of the party and because of documents provided by the INEC proving the legitimacy of Mu’azu’s appointment.
It is still speculated that the litigants were sponsored by the Villa to rattle him.
Besides, a source said the INEC has allegedly written to Mu’azu telling him that it will no longer recognise him as PDP Chairman because he was “not properly elected into that office, neither has there been any convention to ratify his appointment.”
According to the source, those who sponsored the litigants must have advised them to withdraw the case since INEC has agreed to step in.
However, the story was denied by Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, when TheNiche contacted him on the telephone.
