‘PDP should not joke with Northwest in 2015’

Mohammed Ibrahim Attah, former chairman of Yola North Local Government of Adamawa State and now a PDP chieftain in the state, in this interview, stresses the importance of factoring the Northwest in PDP’s bid to win the 2015 presidential elections. Excerpts:

You are a chieftain of the PDP and it appears the party is set to field a southern candidate based on the fact that the party’s national chairman is from the North, what is your view?
Please, let us not trivialize the importance of 2015 presidential election with party executive issues, for when you talk of party executives, you are talking of delegates that will produce

a party’s flag bearer. Party Executives won’t make you win the general election.
Whoever is responsible for given such idea should have a rethink for 2015 is just around the corner. We are already under severe political attacks by our political opponents, the case of Boko Haram, the abduction of school girls and several killings by Fulani and other tribes, the blame for which is heaped on our President. We know that Boko Haram issue dates back to President Yaradua’s era but it has now been politicized. We have to find way to defend all these allegations while the APC is busy organizing itself. They are even ready to risk Muslim-Muslim ticket because they know Bola Tinubu has control of the South West
Since the exit of the five governors from the PDP, it seems the chances of northern aspirants has been reduced, do you think they stand any chance in the PDP?
The  North  Western Zone is a PDP strong hold, we must not joke with it. For the sake of unity and if we really want to win election in 2015, we must forget all what happened in the past and bring all our loyal members back to PDP. If what Sule Lamido did in Jigawa-State is not enough to earn him respect in the PDP, then I’m sorry to say that other party faithfuls would be demoralized.
 I know Saminu Taraki is also a former governor of Jigawa State, but you cannot equate his popularity with that of  Lamido who is a national figure and also a national leader.
Why should we then allow this case of Lamido to bring a problem to us in the North West, while any sensible politician in this country knows that Sule Lamido is now in the group of our first eleven not only in the North? We all know that he is a great politician, crowd puller, mobilizer and highly experienced politician.
2015 is just around the corner and I feel the leadership of the PDP must not joke with the North West political affairs.
I think for many reasons, the Governor of Jigawa State deserves a reward in PDP for his visible loyalty to the party.   He is one of the founding fathers of PDP, considering the difficulties he and other members underwent before the formation of the party. Initially 14 of them started the movement, the number increased to 28 and finally 34 of them challenged Abacha to a standstill. Sule Lamido was even jailed in Kirikiri maximum prison until when finally Abacha died and the party was later formed. After the formation of the party, many of the founding fathers that started the fight were frustrated into leaving the party, but the Jigawa State governor  had never dreamt of leaving the party, despite all kinds of frustrations because he has the interest of the party at heart. The recent crisis involving seven PDP governors led to the defection of five of them to APC but Lamido and Babangida Aliyu refused to do so because of their loyalty to the party. That simple act made us to be proud of them. He has done wonderfully well in implementing the programmes of PDP in his state, there by promoting the party in the eyes of our people and even our political opponents. One needs to go to Jigawa State and see the structural development and the dividend of democracy he provides to his people.  The remotest village in Jigawa State enjoys pipe born water, schools, hospital, access roads e.t.c. and  for that reason, where ever Lamido visits , people rush to him and hail him. Unlike some governors,  Sule Lamido is still embarking on big projects as if it was his first term.
 But they said he is not loyal to the party as he was not at the zonal rally…
If his only fault is his failure to follow the President to the zonal rally, then you must understand that there is no smoke without fire. He must have been offended. If you truly and honestly wanted him to attend the rally, you knew what to do to pacify him since you for sure knew he was wronged.