There appears to be heightened tension in the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) over Senatorial seats in 2015 as some of the incumbent Senators have vowed not to vacate their seats for the outgoing governors.
The proposal from the leadership of the National Assembly that at least one experienced Senator per state should be retained to guide the incoming ones in 2015 and also avert starting afresh is also said to have caused ripples in the party, The Nation reports.
It was gathered that attempts in the last 72 hours to iron out the issue had left some of the governors stranded as they could not obtain nomination forms and they opted for automatic slots instead of facing the incumbent Senators in primaries.
The senators on the other hand have told the party leadership that they will not step aside for their governors who had been using state machinery to oppress them.
The most pronounced crises are in Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Niger, and Cross River where PDP leadership is insisting on the return of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, because of “good performance and quality representation.”
Other states in the ‘war’ fronts are Kebbi, Delta, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Plateau and Abia.
A party source said: “We have a challenge at hand because some incumbent Senators are resisting alleged moves to hijack their seats by governors who are seeking automatic senatorial slots.
“We have been managing this because about 10 governors are demanding automatic Senate tickets including from the districts where we know the Senators have performed. Some other governors have sought to impose Senatorial candidates.”
Asked of the alternative, the source added: “The PDP is discussing with these governors to avoid losing some Senatorial seats.”
As governors and Senators tried to iron out their differences, findings showed that all the eight members of the National Assembly have lost the battle to return to their seats in 2015.
The affected members of the National Assembly are Senators Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central); Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa West) and Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa East).
Others are Foingha Jephthah (Nembe/ Brass); Henry Ofongo (Southern Ijaw); Warman Ogoriba (Yenegoa/Kolokuma-Opokuma); Dr. Stella Dorgu (Sagbama/Ekeremor) and Nadu Karibo (Ogbia).
It was gathered that the affected senators felt “used and dumped” by the party.
Last week, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and national leaders of the party reportedly clashed over the stoppage of consensus endorsement of their candidature and others in their states for the 2015 election.
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