platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been
lurching on the precipice, held a marathon meeting last night to
thrash out the crises in the party that led to its factionalisation 11
days ago.
However, earlier Tuesday associates believed to be close to the
president had stormed the national secretariat of the PDP in Abuja
seeking the dissolution of the Kano State executive committee of the
party.
This is just as the acrimony between the national executives of the
two factions of the ruling party continued unabated, with the
Baraje-led group accusing the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga
Tukur, of annihilating the party.
Also, for the second time in one week, the party urged the Lagos State
High Court, Ikeja, to commit leaders of the party's faction, the New
PDP, to prison for allegedly violating an order made by the court's
judge.
The meeting between the president and governors was previously
scheduled to take place a week ago, but was postponed to yesterday
after the seven aggrieved governors, who broke away alongside others
to form the New PDP, asked for more time.
The meeting, which started at about 9 pm, was still on going at the
time of going to press at 2 am.
It was the first time that the president had met with what has now
been termed the G7, comprising Governors Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers),
Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Mu'azu Babangida
Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and
Sule Lamido (Jigawa), as well as other governors considered to be
loyal to him, to thrash out their grievances.
A presidency source informed THISDAY that the duration of the meeting
was an indication that they were serious about resolving the crises
that have threatened the future of PDP.
He said the president and governors were trying to arrive at a win-win
situation that everyone will be comfortable with, in order to move the
party forward.
Although he declined to disclose further information, he admitted that
the meeting was a make or break meeting for the party and could
determine its fortunes.
Before the meeting, however, the president's allies comprising the
former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Na'Abba;
Nigeria's Ambassador to China, Alhaji Aminu Wali; Col. Habibu Shuaibu,
who contested the 2011 election against Kwankwaso, in 2011; and a
former adviser to Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Akilu Ndabawa, were
said to have pushed for the dissolution of the Kano exco on the
grounds that their tenure had expired.
They stormed the PDP national secretariat yesterday demanding that the
state party executive led by Aminu Aliyu Summilia should be dissolved
because its tenure had expired since August 14, 2013.
Commenting on their visit to the secretariat, the National Publicity
Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, confirmed that the National Working
Committee (NWC) held a meeting with the delegates from Kano State, who
came to inform the national secretariat that the tenure of the exco in
the state had expired.
He confirmed that a caretaker committee would soon be set up in the
state chapter of the party pending when a proper election would be
organised.
He denied that the plan to set up a caretaker committee was part of
the crisis in the party, in which some governors of the PDP, including
that of Kano State had formed a splinter group.
But THISDAY gathered that their demand for the dissolution of the Kano
State exco was in line with the recommendations of the Political
Committee set up by the president last week to develop a strategy as a
fall back option to the factionalisation of the party.
The Political Committee, in its report, had recommended a carrot and
stick approach including the dissolution of the state executive
committees of the so-called "rebel states" comprising Kano, Niger,
Sokoto and Kwara.
Rivers and Adamawa were excluded on the grounds that the party exco in
the two states are not under the control of their governors.
Other measures recommended by the committee included x-raying the
activities of the disloyal members in the four states and possibly
expelling those that are indicted.
It was learnt that the Political Committee was of the view that the
governors and chieftains of the PDP in the four states have not been
amenable to the reconciliatory overtures of the president.
Meanwhile, the Baraje-faction of the PDP yesterday accused Tukur of
annihilating the party.
The New PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity
Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka, also called on Tukur to desist from
antagonising its leader, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, as well
as Amaechi, Kwankwaso, Lamido, Nyako and Wamakko.
Describing the attacks by Tukur against the former vice-president and
New PDP governors as exasperating, disgusting, unacceptable and very
unfortunate, Eze said the utterances were capable of derailing the
reconciliation being spearheaded by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo.
"We urge him and members of his cabinet to stop making inflammatory
statements capable of derailing the efforts of the Elders Committee of
the party under the leadership of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to restore
normalcy and unity amongst PDP members," the statement read.
The New PDP said Tukur and his cohorts should let peace reign by
according respect to members of the Elders Committee comprising former
military President Ibrahim Babangida, the Board of Trustees (BoT)
Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, Alhaji Ahmadu Ali and Barnabas Gemade,
who should be allowed to do their work, as "this is necessary so as to
allow peace to be restored to our great party."
Noting that the incessant criticism of Atiku and Amaechi by Tukur had
shown that he is intolerant of dissenting voices and is thus
"incapable of leading a democratic party like PDP."
Eze urged him to "refrain from making statements that are not only
false but also capable of overheating the polity and causing more
trouble for President Goodluck Jonathan and allow Mr. President find
ways to get himself out of the problems so far created by some
misguided elements surrounding him."
The new PDP said it was however not surprised that Tukur and many of
his executives were combative, attributing their attitude to the lack
of familiarity with the original ideology of the party.
"The patriotic members of PDP will not be either intimidated or
harassed out of the party as we are on a mission not only to
rediscover the PDP but also to imbibe in the members the vision of the
founding fathers of the party and restore internal democracy in the
party," the faction stated.
Eze, who added that the new PDP boycotted the post-convention dinner
of the party because it was a charade and an avenue for wasting
resources, which could affect the party's chances of winning future
elections, also faulted Tukur's allegation that Amaechi was sponsoring
the activities of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
"As a serious group, we cannot be a party to such squandermania while
Nigerian masses are wallowing in abject poverty and our children kept
at home instead of being in school because the federal government
could not meet ASUU's demands.
"We wish to have nothing to do with such waste of public funds and
such trivialities associated with Tukur and his leadership – which
explains why he must be kicked out of the national secretariat of the
party.
"We cannot be a party to such a gathering while the PDP family is
facing serious crisis that if not checked would dim the party's
chances of winning future elections. This is a sign of a man chasing a
rat while his house is on fire," it said.
"If we may ask, on what basis would Governor Amaechi be sponsoring the
activities of APC? Is he a member of APC? Are there not enough state
governors in APC to sponsor its activities?" it asked.
On threats by some ex-Niger Delta militants that if Jonathan is not
allowed to contest the presidential election in 2015 they would make
the country ungovernable, the New PDP said it is not only the Ijaw
people that would vote in future polls but over 300 tribes from every
area of the country, as it commended the Timipre Sylva group in
Bayelsa State which has aligned itself with the faction.
Reacting to the New PDP's statement, Metuh said the PDP would not
engage the faction in a war of words, saying, "We will not exchange
words with our aggrieved brothers.
"Reconciliation is ongoing and we will not provoke a dislocation of
the reconciliation. Our focus is to redouble our efforts to ensure
that our party members rededicate themselves to the party and for our
elected and appointed representatives to work harder more than before
in satisfying the yearning of Nigerians."
However, for the second time in less than a week, PDP yesterday urged
a Lagos State High Court to commit leaders of the party's faction to
prison for allegedly violating an order made by Justice Ganiyu Safari.
The application is different from the one at the Federal High Court,
Abuja, in which the party urged the court to jail the alleged
contemnors for "appointing" Olagunsoye Oyinlola as "national
secretary" after a court had nullified his nomination by the PDP
South-west zonal chapter.
The applicants in the suit filed yesterday by their lawyer, Mr.
Ajibola Oluyede, were Tukur; Deputy National Chairman, Uche Secondus;
National Women Leader, Dr. Kema Chikwe; and National Publicity
Secretary, Metuh.
Those they seek to jail are Baraje, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Oyinlola, Maode
Hiliya, Timi Frank, Mrs. Binta Koje, Mallam Nasir Issa, Chief
Chukwuemeka Eze, Aliyu Wadada and Mallam Tanko Gomna.
PDP is praying the court to jail Baraje, Jaja and Oyinlola for a term
of one year or as the court may otherwise determine for alleged
criminal contempt which they committed "in their conspiracy and
actions to flout the purpose and authority of the court."
The party said they obstructed the administration of justice through
subverting the court's processes and engaged in overt acts of defiance
and violation of an order made on September 2.
Justice Safari had ordered in a ruling that the "parties maintain the
status quo ante pending the hearing and determination of the motion on
notice for interlocutory injunction."
The judge also reaffirmed the order on Monday.
Despite the order, PDP said the alleged contemnors opened a new office
/secretariat on September 4, and appointed themselves and the others
into various offices constituting the PDP NWC.
The applicants said the "contemnors" did so "for the purpose of
rendering the said orders of this Honourable Court nugatory and of no
effect."
But as the two factions continued to bicker, the members of Elders
Committee, which was empanelled to resolve the crisis that has torn
the party apart, met with the president Tuesday.
The members comprising Obasanjo, in his capacity as chairman of the
committee, former military president, Babangida, a former chairman of
the party, Ali, met privately with Jonathan at the Presidential Villa,
ostensibly to submit their recommendations for resolving the
differences in the party.
Prior to the meeting, which lasted for about an hour, three governors
loyal to the president and Tukur were also sighted at the office wing
at the villa.
They were: Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, Gabriel Suswam of
Benue State and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State.
None of the governors spoke to reporters as they departed the villa
after their rendezvous with the president.
Obasanjo's team, according to a source, met with Jonathan in
preparation for the enlarged meeting scheduled for last night within
the precinct of the State House.
Journalists were barred from getting close to House Seven in the
villa, which was the venue of the meeting.
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