By Uche Mbah
Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was earlier this week turbaned as the Wazirin Adamawa, in Yola, Adamawa state. The occasion attracted the Creme de la Creme of the party hierarchy, but surprisingly, no South east governor was in Attendance.
Prominent among the attendees were two former Presidents, Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, a former Vice President, Namadi Sambo; the Party Chairman Uche Secondus and some governors.
The absence of South east governors was not unexpected. Within the same period, the governors, led by the Deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, visited Aso Rock to confer with president Buhari. According to the governor of Ebonyi state, Dave Umahi, who doubled as the the spokesperson of South east PDP governor’s Forum, they were there to thank the president on his contributions to the development of South east.
Indications are, however, that the development of South east has been stunted since the inception of the Buhari administration. The projects that has been paid for by the Jonathan administration has been suspended. The second Niger Bridge, a joint Partnership between the government and Julius Berger, of which the government has fully paid their own part, was cancelled by Buhari. Instead, they are using the Bridge as a campaign material. The same goes to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport upgrade.
It is believed that the south east leaders alienation from the masses produced the loophole that Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People Of Biafra, IPOB, leader, had to cash in. Peter Obi, the Vice Presidential Candidate, is said to have grassroots popularity across the states, and has enormous followings despite being in opposition to the governors’ position. But the governors at the same time are in possession of party structures in their state.
How the bat disposition-neither a land animal nor a bird-will help the governors case remains to be seen. But this is what Atiku should address fast.
