2015: PDP elders’ panel divided over Jonathan

The Peoples Democratic Party Elders’ Committee, headed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has started compiling a report of its meetings with the leaders of the two factions of the PDP in Abuja on Friday.

One of our correspondents gathered in Abuja on Sunday that one issue the committee would find a hard nut to crack is President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 ambition.

A very reliable source in one of the factions  told The PUNCH on Sunday that while the elders were divided on  Jonathan’s reelection bid, the governors were also in disagreement on the fate of Tukur,  who would on Monday (today) meet with state chairmen of the PDP in Abuja.

Those at the  Friday  meeting, apart from Obasanjo, were  former chairmen of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali and Senator Barnabas Gemade, the Chairman of Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih   as well as former military President  Ibrahim Babangida.

Another ex-Chairman of the PDP, Solomon Lar and  a former BOT Chairman, Dr.  Alex Ekwueme,  were absent at the meeting as they were said to have travelled outside the country.

The National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur  led some members of his National Working Committee to the meeting while    Alhaji Abubakar Baraje led the  National Secretary of the New PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Jaja, a former Governor of Gombe State, Sen. Danjuma Goje and an ex-Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki.

Also in the Baraje group were  governors  Sule Lamido (Jigawa),  Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)  and Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).

Governors, who came on the side of the Tukur-led PDP  included Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Idris Wada (Kogi), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Theordore Orji (Abia), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi).

The PUNCH however gathered that during the meeting, two  members of the committee were in agreement that Jonathan should sacrifice his second term ambition while  two  disapproved.

The fifth committee member was   said not to be very committal to any of the positions canvassed by his colleagues.

Our source  said, “The committee is in a fix on whether  to recommend that President Jonathan should forget his second term or not

“Two  of the committee members or elders argued that the President would have done six years by 2015 and doing another four years would amount to third term. They are saying that the constitution stipulates that the President can only be in office for eight years and if he(Jonathan) gets another four years, he would have done 10 years, which to them amounts to third term.”

According to him, two others  were  of the opinion that the President should seek reelection  since the constitution was not against that.

He added that while the governors on the side of the Baraje-faction insisted on Tukur’s sacking,  others  argued that he should be allowed to continue to run the PDP.

It was however  learnt that the committee might recommend that those who formed the New PDP  should return to the party under the chairmanship of Tukur.

Tukur  is expected to meet today  with the 36 state chairmen of the party and their Federal Capital Territory  counterpart  over the crisis rocking the PDP.

 The notice of the meeting, which was sighted by one   of our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday evening, indicated that it would hold at the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the party.

“The meeting is aimed at briefing you  (chairmen) on the recent happenings in our great party,” the notice added.

Investigations  indicated that Tukur  would use the opportunity of the meeting to solicit the support of the   chairmen, who are considered as field commanders for the party in their respective states.

At the end of the meeting, the state chairmen may be compelled to issue a statement pledging their loyalty to the Tukur-led faction.

Meanwhile, controversy has continued to surround the closure of the secretariat of the New PDP in Abuja  by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

The Tukur-led PDP, the Police and the Presidency defended the action but  the All Progressives Congress, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties and three Senior Advocates of Nigeria denounced it.

The  National Publicity Secretary of the  PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh,  said the police acted based on the order of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Metuh  argued   that in ordering that the parties in the dispute should  maintain the  status quo ante bellum, “the court clearly granted the request of the PDP that the group led by Alhaji  Baraje should not operate or be recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the position of the Federal High Court is clear. By ordering that the two parties maintain status quo ante bellum, the court has clearly ordered the Baraje group to stop all its activities, including operating a secretariat while it affirmed the leadership of the PDP under Alhaji   Tukur. The sealing off of the secretariat opened by the Baraje group under the name, colour and flag of the PDP is therefore in order and in line with the law.”

FCT  Police Command Public Relations Officer, Altienne Daniel,  said,”It is true that we deployed policemen to the Maitama office of the PDP and the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the party based on a court order which directed the parties to maintain the status quo.

“The police at the two offices did not prevent anyone from entering or leaving the offices, they were just there to prevent a breach of the peace and to enforce the order of the court.”

But the  CNPP  called on   Jonathan to order the Inspector- General of the Police to open the  shut secretariat of the New  PDP.

PUNCH