FRESH facts emerging on how Bayelsa State Governor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, was chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate of the ruling People�s Democratic Party (PDP), suggest that the leadership of the party wanted a clean break with the past and assuage the feelings of the people of the Niger Delta about their treatment in the scheme of things.
Although Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State was the choice of the party leadership until 2a.m. yesterday when the presidential contest was still on, he was dropped on account of pressures from some powerful individuals who were even far away from the Eagle Square, venue of the primaries.
Fresh information also explained why President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to back, to the end, the candidacy of Yar�Adua.
How Goodluck emerged
Vanguard learnt that some three weeks ago, the choice of who would pair with Yar�Adua had been narrowed down to a personality from the South-South geo-political zone of the country. It was further narrowed down to states with very high crude oil production capacity. Specifically, Bayelsa and Rivers States were penciled down.
The reason for this, Vanguard learnt, was because statistics showed that about 20 per cent to 25 per cent of total crude revenue was being lost daily by conservative standards.
In session, Yar�Adua and his strategists were said to have wondered aloud how a nation with a huge commitment to the reduction of the level of poverty in the land would meet the Millennium Goals with such a huge loss.
Between Rivers and Bayelsa States, they said the latter would be the state which would produce the running mate. At that time, Goodluck was not in the picture at all.
In advertisements ran in Vanguard last week, Goodluck was operating with some sentiments and sympathies for Odili�s presidential aspiration and, therefore, his name couldn�t have featured in any way.
But the strategic nature of Bayelsa, its oil wells and the need to engage a process that would lead to meeting the needs of the ordinary people of the region, as well as understanding the concerns of the militants, swayed it for the state.
But Odili�s campaign for the presidency had become the most scientific and visible of all the presidential aspirants and this created specific concerns of its own
First, it was about how to stop Odili from going to the convention ground and have an open contest with the other aspirants as reports filtering into the presidency, both security and political, indicated that Odili would win the primaries.
The second concern was the fear of a possible backlash if Odili emerged the PDP presidential candidate, with alleged cases pending with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The third, and most important was how, when stopped, would the party manage the aspirant himself, having invested heavily time, money and energy in his campaigns throughout the country. Therefore, as part of the negotiated settlement for an Odili withdrawal on the eve of the primaries, he was offered the vice presidential slot.
Information available to Vanguard indicated that in the early hours of yesterday at the PDP presidential primaries, Governor Odili was the aspirant the PDP leadership favoured the most to clinch the vice presidential slot.
Indeed, the prepared acceptance speech which Governor Yar�Adua intended to read after his victory was said to have included the name of Odili as the PDP vice presidential candidate.
No fewer than three state governors confirmed to Vanguard that �it was something that had been concluded even before the end of voting.
�The reason why you had only two sets of delegates (Katsina and Rivers States) left at the Eagle Square till the end of the event was because in the case of Katsina, that is where the front runner and the anointed aspirant comes from and in the case of Rivers, it was expected that Governor Odili�s name would be announced as agreed,� one of the sources said.
Another governor wondered �why the name of Governor Odili was not announced there and then at the Eagle Square.�
It was also established that for the Yar�Adua candidacy to wax stronger and popular during campaigns for the general elections, �there is need to pair him (Yar�Adua) with a very strong personality. That way, whoever the All Nigeria People�s Party/Action Congress alliance is bringing forward would be roundly defeated.�
When the governor was asked whether a very strong personality as running mate would not create the type of crisis currently rocking the presidency, he said: �No way. Every running mate, based on the diminished vice presidency we currently have, would think twice before engaging his boss in a show of power.�
But all that was to peter into insignificance when phone calls started coming in from what a source described as a gang of seven. Made up of very powerful individuals traversing different spheres and walks of life, these individuals were also holding court somewhere in Asokoro. It was learnt that this group was in constant touch with the convention ground and specifically the State Box at Eagle Square.
They made it clear that the present predicament of Vice President Atiku, occasioned by his alleged financial impropriety as stated by the EFCC, but which is being challenged in court would become an issue in the event that Odili emerged as Yar�Adua�s running mate.
Vanguard gathered that even in the event of the allegations against Odili turning out to be true, Vice President Atiku�s camp would tar the PDP presidential ticket with the allegations.
Yar�Adua�s acceptance speech, therefore, to which had been included a sentence announcing Odili as running mate was edited to remove Odili’s name as running mate.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor was unaware that a new game was on. This was why the only set of delegates who waited to see the counting to the end were those of Katsina and Rivers States � Katsina is Yar�Adua�s state and Rivers delegates were expecting the announcement of Odili, who is said to see his withdrawal as a huge sacrifice.
But at about 3a.m, it was Gov. Jonathan who moved into the podium and sat next to Yar�Adua in the State Box.
And whereas it was not an unusual sight, yesterday�s announcement of the PDP that Jonathan would be Yar�Adua�s running mate fitted perfectly the tie-back and its relevance. One of the pillars of the PDP told Vanguard that the dropping of Odili was not punitive but a huge sacrifice on the part of the Rivers State governor. One of the leaders of the party who was contacted last night said it was a decision arrived at by the PDP leadership. Vanguard was also told that the decision was the best for the party in the circumstance.
Results at a glance
Meanwhile, the results of the presidential primaries announced yesterday morning are as follows:
Invalidated votes (94), Mike Akhigbe (13), Jerry Gana (165), Albert Horsfal (8), Sarah Jubril (4), Mamman Kontagora (0), Buba Marwa (127), Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (271), Rochas Okorocha (372), Sawa (3), Ebitu Ukiwe (17), Ralph Uwechue (3) and Umar Musa Yar�Adua (3024).
Why Obasanjo backed Yar�Adua
Facts emerging as to why President Obasanjo supported Gov. Yar�Adua is because of the latter�s integrity. President Obasanjo, who held court with Govs Yar�Adua and James Ibori some weeks ago at his Aso Rock Presidential Villa, was said to have bought into the Yar�Adua project because of the latter�s approach to governance which tallies in a way with what Obasanjo himself is doing at the federal level.
Vanguard was informed that when Obasanjo travelled to Katsina, the Katsina State capital to commission the state�s secretariat complex, the edifice, said to have been built at a cost of N400 million caught the attention of President Obasanjo.
President Obasanjo was said to have wondered aloud how it was done, insisting that such projects in some other parts of the North had been said to cost billions.
Added to this, President Obasanjo was also said to have been taken in by the disclosure that Yar�Adua had in Katsina State Government coffers N6.5 billion in reserves. His prudent approach to governance, which Obasanjo believes is similar to what obtains at the federal level is also a factor.
Jubilations in Yenagoa
Meanwhile, wild jubilations erupted in Yenagoa last night after news filtered in about the choice of Gov. Jonathan as vice presidential candidate.
Foreworks took over the sky of the state capital while bars served free drinks.