The
truce talks between elders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and
governors elected on the platform of the party will on Friday (today)
continue in Abuja.
The meeting, initiated by a former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is aimed at seeking a solution to
issues that led to the factionalisation of the PDP.
Six PDP governors had last Saturday
stormed out of the party’s mini-convention in Abuja and joined some
aggrieved prominent members of the party, including the Rivers State
Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to announce the emergence of a faction known
as the New PDP.
The governors are Aliyu Wamakko
(Sokoto); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Aliyu Babangida (Niger); Abdulfatai
Ahmed (Kwara); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); and Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano).
They named a former Vice-President,
Atiku Abubakar, as the leader of the faction. An ex- National Chairman
of the PDP, Alhaji Mohammed Bugaje, was appointed the national
chairman; Dr. Sam Jaja, deputy national chairman; and Prince
Olagunsoye, national secretary.
Jolted by the development, President
Goodluck Jonathan initiated a series of reconciliatory meetings, first
with Obasanjo and then the PDP governors.
The meeting Jonathan held with the
governors did not reach any conclusion as it was postponed till next
Tuesday to enable the parties to consult more on the crisis.
Obasanjo, who had earlier appealed to
the parties to maintain the peace, said elders of the PDP would meet
on Friday(today) to mediate in the crisis.
Expected at the meeting that will take
place in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, are former a Vice-President,
Dr. Alex Ekwueme, a former National Chairman of the party, Chief
Solomon Lar; and ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida.
Some other people considered to be
founding members of the party like the Chairman of the Board of
Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, are also expected to be in attendance.
In spite of the ongoing peace efforts, the leaders of the parallel factions on Thursday continued their war of words.
While the National Chairman of the PDP,
Dr. Bamanga Tukur, described those behind the Bugaje-led faction as
prodigal sons, Oyinlola, described Tukur as a dictator.
Apparently worried by the verbal attacks, Anenih called for caution among them.
But barely 24 hours after he threatened
about 124 National Assembly members backing the New PDP with the loss
of their seats, Tukur described Abubakar, Bugaje, Oyinlola and others
as prodigal sons who might be left behind by the PDP.
He spoke at the opening of a seminar
jointly organised by the offices of National Woman and National Youth
Leaders of the PDP for all women and youth leaders in the party drawn
from the 36 states of the federation.
The PDP chairman said, “What is going
on in the party is something of concern but it is also something that
can happen in a family.
“You can quarrel but it should be
resolved within the house not outside.If a son or daughter leaves home,
he or she is called a prodigal son or daughter. If they go and come
back, we will say welcome back prodigal son/daughter. We will tell
you, you are still accepted because in the PDP, a son or daughter is
always regarded as such.
“But of course, if you are coming back ,
you will also know the consequences of taking a wrong step. You have
to reconnect and correct your wrong step. If you don’t, the PDP train
will move without you.”
The faction led by Baraje has however said it would slam contempt charges against Tukur.
It said its lawyers would press a
contempt charge against him for flouting the orders of a Lagos High
Court in Ikeja which asked both sides to maintain the status quo
pending the resolution of the case before it.
The faction, in a statement by Oyinlola
condemned the press conference in Abuja on wednesday where Tukur
threatened to sack the members of the National Assembly who have
declared their support for it.
It said, “We have asked our lawyers to
press contempt charges against Tukur because his statement was made in
clear contempt of the orders of the Lagos High Court which three days
ago asked both sides to maintain the status quo. We will ask the court
to commit him to jail for his disdain for the law and the judicial
system.
“We have always been saying it that Tukur represents everything that must not be seen in a democratic organisation.
“His statement demonstrates not just
impunity but also lawlessness and crass ignorance of the tenets of the
law and democratic ethos. Tukur displayed his disdain for law and order
with his threat to order the arrest of law-abiding persons in a
democracy.
“Fortunately, our country is a democracy
under the rule of law and not under the rule of man. The police and
other security agencies cannot be used to further such an agenda as
being nurtured in the dictatorial mind of Tukur.
“Again, we believe only an ignorant
person would threaten to sack elected Senators and Representatives for
staying on the side of truth, justice and fairness.
“Tukur needs to be reminded that members
of the National Assembly were elected by the people of Nigeria and are
not his appointees who he could dismiss like the minions in his private
residence.”
Oyinlola challenged Tukur to realise that his reign of terror was over in the PDP.
“We challenge him to call out those who
are with him in his clear journey to perdition even as we add that
Tukur should come to terms with the reality of the end of his reign of
terror, impunity, dictatorship and lawlessness in our party,” he added.
Fearing that the angry statements by
the factional PDP leaders may stall the ongoing reconciliatory efforts
by Jonathan and Obasanjo, Anenih called for an end to open
confrontations by the parties involved.
He said in a statement entitled, “A
Call for Caution,” in Abuja on Thursday, that making preemptive
comments amid reconciliation process was disrespectful to Jonathan
and the PDP leadership at whose instance the reconciliation efforts
were being made.
The BOT chairman added, “It is
unfortunate that while the reconciliation efforts are being made, some
of our members are making inflammatory statements, intimidating one
another and issuing threats of court actions. Such actions do nothing
but harm the efforts at reconciliation.
“Like a good family, we must avoid open confrontation and allow the leadership of the party to effect genuine reconciliation.
“Conflict is not new to the PDP and, as
in the past, I am confident that, in spite of the differences, the
current one will be resolved, with the party coming out even stronger
and more united than ever.
“To make preemptive statements while the
process of reconciliation is still on, is disrespectful not only to the
President but also to the party leadership. Such statements undermine
the party and the enormous efforts being made under the transformation
agenda of Mr. President.
“I therefore call on all members of our great party to exercise restraint throughout this trying period.”
But a group, known as Congress for
Equality, which met at the residence of Chief Edwin Clark in Abuja,
asked Anenih to distance himself from the aggrieved governors.
It said that it was wrong for him (Anenih) to say that the aggrieved governors had genuine complaints.
A statement issued at the end of the
meeting and signed by Senator Ameh Ebute advised Anenih to join hands
with Tukur to support the party and Jonathan.
A former Police Affairs Minister, Maj.Gen. David Jemibewon and Gen. I.B.M. Haruna attended the meeting.PUNCH
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