BY  HENRY UMORU

FORMER National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Dr. Ahmadu Ali disclosed yesterday that late President Umaru Yar’Adua personally picked President Goodluck Jonathan as his running mate ahead of the 2007 polls  without the prompting of any of the leaders of the party.

The party boss also said Jonathan almost rejected the offer to run with Yar’Adua.

Ali spoke against the backdrop that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was responsible for the emergence of Jonathan then as vice president.

The former PDP  national chairman was speaking yesterday at the second day of the  two-day retreat for the president, governors and National Assembly members –elect. The programme, held under the theme, ‘’ Legislative and Executive Branch Collaboration: A new Synergy for National Transformation”, was organised by the PDP in collaboration with the Peoples Democratic Institute, PDI, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Ali, reacting to a comment by the Publisher, Editor- In-Chief of THISDAY Newspapers, Nduka Obiagbena, that the British High Commissioner told him PDP shortlisted former Governors James Ibori, Peter Odili and Jonathan for the slot, however, explained to the audience that the rumour peddled by the diplomat was not correct against the backdrop that there was no time the party or its leaders drew up any list of possible running mate for Yar’Adua.

“It is not true that three people were in consideration for vice president and Ibori was never considered”, he stated.

The former PDP  chairman noted that while the PDP governors were meeting in the house of former Special Assistant to Obasanjo, Andy Uba, now a  senator-elect deliberating on who to push forward for the slot, Obasanjo, Chief Tony Anenih and himself (Ali) summoned Yar’Adua to read his acceptance speech and inform them of who he was picking as his running mate.

“Chief Tony Anenih, myself and Obasanjo were the only three people in the basement and we forced the late president to read his acceptance speech. He resisted and I am the only one keeping a copy of that speech which he never read. Goodluck Jonathan was nominated singlehandedly by Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his running mate before me, Chief Anenih and Obasanjo. We insisted he must tell us who his running mate was.

“At that time the governors were meeting, they were holed up in the house of one senator now trying to direct affairs, so we jumped them. While they were meeting in Andy Uba’s house where they were trying to come out with a candidate as the vice president, we said, ‘no, Umaru tell us now now now.

“That was when he said he would like Goodluck Jonathan. So, Obasanjo took the telephone and said get me Goodluck, get me Goodluck and Goodluck came and sat down. He (Jonathan) couldn’t get any idea from our eyes as he was seated opposite me and we were just watching him. We asked Yar’Adua to tell him (Jonathan) what he told us and he told him,” Ali explained.

The former chairman, who stressed that Jonathan was then asked to react to the offer, said that the nominee, Jonathan however expressed his reservations about holding the office of vice president when he already had a vision and agenda on how he would govern Bayelsa  State.