THE crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP deepened, yesterday, ahead of the peace meeting scheduled for last night to resolve the lingering dispute in the party.
Presidency officials expressed frustration that the seven rebel governors have perfected plans to cripple the peace process.
A top Presidency official told Vanguard, last night, that despite the fact that the President is in a reconciliatory mood, the rebel governors have refused to deal honestly with him and leaders of the party.
The official cited instances where the rebel governors would be invited to meetings but instead of attending they would divide themselves with some attending and others staying away.
From left: Gov Murtala Nyakko of Adamawa; PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo at the PDP 62nd National Executive Council Meeting in Abuja on Thursday (22/8/13).
The official gave as example the last peace process chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He said that when the meeting was on the verge of a breakthrough, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who stood for the dissenting governors said that he could not speak for his colleagues, stating that he would have to go back and consult them.
The official expressed fears the game plan could frustrate last night’s peace plan. He feared that not all the dissenting governors would attend which would be an excuse for decisions to be shelved so that the governors in attendance can go and consult their colleagues.
The official cited the last elders’ meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja. He said that the rebel governors were represented by the Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
According to him, like the Obasanjo meeting frustrated by Governor Amaechi, when the meeting was on the verge of a breakthrough, Governor Kwankwaso stood up and said that he wanted to visit the rest room and that was the last they heard from him.
Beyond the antics of the rebel governors, the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has moved to clip the wings of Kwankwaso by sacking the Kano State Working Committee, SWC, that is loyal to the governor. Alhaji Tukur also yesterday asked an Ikeja High Court to commit factional chairman of the party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and his executives to prison for violating a court order.
Meanwhile, as part of moves to resolve the deep-seated crisis in the PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday met with former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and former National Chairman of the party, Dr Ahmadu Ali. The President also warned his aides to desist from attacking his critics.
Jonathan meets IBB, Ali
It was gathered that President Jonathan met Babangida and Ali between 1 and 2pm at House Seven at the Villa.
The meeting was a prelude to a meeting of PDP stakeholders who were billed to meet last night to resolve the crisis that has plagued the ruling party since its special convention penultimate week.
The aggrieved governors have since set up a rival faction dubbed the new PDP complete with office and officials though the office was sealed on Sunday by the police allegedly on a subsisting court order.
Though former president Olusegun Obasanjo has initiated a peace move to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party, the peace move appears to have been stalled as the two parties have remained stuck on their positions.
After meeting with Babangida and Ali, President Jonathan also met with the governors of Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Benue states.
Why Tukur moved against Kwankwaso
At the National Secretariat of the PDP yesterday to carry out the bidding of Tukur were Nigeria’s ambassador to China, Ambassador Aminu Wali; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Umar Ghali Na’aba, and former National Youth Leader, Dr. Sanni Akilu Indabawa, among others, who are not in Kwankwaso’s camp.
Tukur’s action was a fallout of the current crisis in the PDP where the Kano State governor is a leading figure of the new PDP led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje.
A source told Vanguard yesterday that the PDP headquarters was cashing-in on the expiration of the tenure of the Adamu Aliyu Sumaila-led Kano PDP Executive Council to enthrone its loyalists as care-taker executives ahead of the PDP National Convention where the Presidential flag bearer of the party for 2015 election will be elected.
Tukur had earlier threatened to wield the sledgehammer against the ‘dissidents’ whose major grouse had to do with the absence of internal democracy within the PDP and Kwankwaso has not hidden his disgust for Tukur’s style of leadership.
Tukur lived up to his threat by instituting a legal action against the Baraje faction, leading to the sealing of their secretariat by the Police over the weekend.
This plan, it was learnt, was to wrest the leadership of the party from the governor who is also serving out his term by 2015. The proposed caretaker committee is expected to consist of core loyalists of President Goodluck Jonathan and sworn political enemies of the governor.
We’ll set up a caretaker committee for Kano – Metu
Speaking with journalists on the development, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh who noted that some members from Kano State were at the secretariat with some complaints, said that the NWC will look at the issues and set up a caretaker committee to carry on with the activities of the party following the expiration of the state executive committee on August 14, 2013, adding, “ in view of this, since nature abhors vacuum, a caretaker committee will be put in place soon.”
Vanguard gathered that already, jostling for Kano chairmanship seat has commenced with the Garkuwa group, known to consist of Kwankwaso’s political enemies in the state positioning retired Colonel Habibu Shuaibu to take over leadeship mantle of the party.
It was also gathered that some persons from the North may not be comfortable with Shuaibu, who was chief of staff to former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Tukur, it was gathered is already pushing for Alhaji Akilu Indabawa, a former Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Affairs.
Stop attacking people in my name, Jonathan warns Gulak, Okupe
As party elders intensified efforts to douse the tension generated by the festering crisis, President Jonathan has warned his close aides to desist forthwith from attacking Nigerians under the guise of defending him.
A Presidency source told Vanguard last night that Jonathan took the decision to censor some of his aides, who he accused of stoking the crisis by vitriolic media assaults on prominent Nigerians since the crisis broke out.
The source said that Jonathan was unhappy that the affected aides had made it almost impossible for the spirited efforts being made by elders and stakeholders to resolve the lingering crisis, to yield the expected results.
It was learnt that almost all the key stakeholders, who had interacted with the President on how best to resolve the crisis, had heaped blames on his overzealous aides for not showing decorum and respect to Nigerians in the discharge of their duties.
The source said: “It is true that some aides of the President had been personally warned by Jonathan not to engage in unnecessary media war with Nigerians in the name of defending him. In particular, those who consider themselves as ‘attack dogs’ for Jonathan have been called to order in order not to heat up the polity.
“The President has asked the affected officers not to ‘put petrol’ on the current situation, which he and other key stakeholders are trying to resolve in the interest of the PDP and Nigeria,” the source said.
It was gathered that the warning was responsible for reduction in the belligerence usually exhibited by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe and the President’s Political Adviser, Ahmed Gulak, in recent times.
The two men have been notorious in taking the political opponents and perceived enemies of the President to the cleaners, earning flak from well-meaning Nigerians in the process.
While Okupe is said to have gone underground after being hit below the belt by an adversarial advertorial by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that he (Okupe) was the worst enemy of the President, Gulak is reported to have earned the wrath of the President after a loose remark at the PDP Post-Convention remark that put his boss off.
Gulak is said to have run into trouble with Jonathan when he described Vice President Namadi Sambo as the ‘most loyal and humble’ VP that Nigeria had ever produced.
Apparently angered by the unexpected remark considered rather innocuous by Gulak, Jonathan stood up and asked his adviser whether he (the President) did not show enough loyalty and humility when he worked under the late Yar’Adua.
Vanguard learnt that Jonathan was determined to make amends with some of the PDP governors and other key players, who had been forced by the crisis to set up a parallel camp with a view to stalling his re-election bid.
The President, it was also learnt, was set to call some Niger Delta militants, who have been threatening fire and brimstone if he was not re-elected, to order so as not to give the impression that he was depending on ‘militias’ or outside forces in administering the country.
One of the President’s supporters, Asari Dokubo, who was detained for over a year by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for waging war against the country under the guise of Niger Delta struggle, on Monday issued fresh threat against Nigerians who tried to stop Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.
The threat is said to have angered some well-meaning Nigerians, who are working assiduously to resolve the lingering PDP crisis, which has the potential of stopping Jonathan’s re-election, if not checkmated.
Osun PDP want Akitoye sacked
Meanwhile, chairman of Osun State chapter of PDP, Chief Gani Olaoluwa yesterday asked Bamanga Tukur to as a matter of urgency to sack the acting National Secretary, Dr. Remi Akitoye against the backdrop that his remaining in the position was a breach of the court’s order which can lead to contempt proceedings against him and the party.
Olaoluwa who noted that it was clear that Akintoye’s appointment has nothing to do with Court’s order, stressed that it was done in error to fill the vacant position when some officers resigned against the wish of the party in the southwest, adding, “Now that the term of Dr. Akintoye’s appointment has lapsed with the election of all officers he should quit the position like others.”
Also a group under the aegis, Concerned Members of the party yesterday gave the Bamanga-Tukur led National Working Committee, NWC seven days to remove Akitoye as acting national Secretary.
The party stakeholders who expressed concern over the continued stay of Dr. Akitoye as a member of the party’s NWC after the party has elected its national officers, however frowned at the endorsement of the party NWC of Akintoye to continue to act in the office of the national secretary against article 13.5 of PDP constitution.
The leadership of the party had last week endorsed Akitoye to continue to act in the office of the National Secretary.
The concerned members of the party said in a document made available to Journalists said that “in view of the foregoing article’s provision and convention on August 31, 2013 Dr. Akitoye or any acting position should be vacated and the Deputy National Secretary should act in the position of the National Secretary and not any other person.
Article 13.5 of the party’s constitution states that “there shall be Deputy National Secretary who shall assist the National Secretary in the discharge of his or her duties and shall act for him or her in his/her absence or whenever so directed.
The group in a document signed by six members across the geopolitical zones, sought the intervention of good thinking and law abiding leaders of the party to prevent further crisis by ensuring that the party constitution was strictly protected.
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