#Obasanjo, IBB Fail To End #PDP Crisis The crisis rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened yesterday as a truce meeting summoned by former president Olusegun Obasanjo ended in a deadlock. The promoters of the break-away faction of the party known as “new PDP” insisted that the conduct of a fresh national convention was the only “immediate path to peace” in the party. The PDP elders’ parley was called by Obasanjo to resolve the latest crisis which led to the formation of the new PDP by aggrieved members led by former vice-president Atiku Abubakar and seven governors who staged a walkout from last Saturday’s special convention of the party. The governors, who alongside Atiku formed the new PDP are Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko Sokoto), Muazu Babangida Aliyu(Niger), Abdufattah Ahmed(Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers). They named former national secretary of the PDP Alhaji Kawu Baraje and Olagunsoye Oyinlola as national chairman and national secretary respectively. Obasanjo’s intervention came after two failed attempts by the leadership of the PDP to resolve the crisis, even as reports had it that President Goodluck Jonathan had directed party elders, especially his loyalists, to shun the parley with the former president on the grounds that he (Obasanjo) was responsible for the festering row in the party. A pro-Jonathan group, the Media Network for Transformation MNT), in a statement signed by its coordinator, Ebelo Goodluck, said apart from being their sponsor, the rebel governors draw their inspiration from Obasanjo. Obasanjo alongside former military president Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Tony Anenih, erstwhile national chairmen, senators Barnabas Gemade and Ahmadu Ali joined the former president to meet with the two PDP factions at three separate venues in Abuja. The pioneer chairman of the party, Chief Solomon Lar, and Second Republic vice-president Dr Alex Ekwueme did not attend the meeting as they were said to be out of the country. A leader of the new PDP confided in LEADERSHIP Weekend that the crisis was not over yet. “As long as the demand for a fresh convention does not get attention, the crisis still lingers and we are not going to reduce any of our demands for peace, principal of which is the conduct of a fresh convention with Tukur stepping aside; that is the irreducible path to peace,” he said. While the elders met with the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP in Niger Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, the parley with the Baraje group took place at the Kaduna Hall, just as the joint parley took place at the Lagos Hall of the hotel. Tukur was accompanied by governors Henry Seriake-Dickson Bayelsa), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Emmanuel Uduaghan Delta), Idris Wada (Kogi), Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River). On the side of Baraje were governors Lamido, Wamakko and Amaechi. Others included Sam Sam Jaja, Oyinlola, senators Danjuma Goje, Abdullahi Adamu and Bukola Saraki. The elders had to shuttle between the meetings throughout the duration of the five-hour meeting. Briefing journalists after the meetings which ended at 2:55 pm, Obasanjo said: “Gentlemen of the press, I thank you for exercising patience. Let me point out, you have seen five of us as select elders of the party. We have taken it upon ourselves to prevent the worst from happening to our dear party. “Two of our members are abroad and could not join us. They are Solomon Lar, Alex Ekwueme; and we are carrying them along. Whatever the reports we are making, suffice it to say that it is the family dispute within the PDP which we want to stem the tide of going to the brink. And I want to say that we have met with the two sides of the family; we have listened to them, and of course, we are going to put our heads together and go on from there.” A pro-Jonathan governor also gave an indication that the crisis was not resolved at the meetings. “We are still on it; it is gradual process. God will help us to resolve it, at least in the interest of the party. God will see us through,” he said. But there was a mild drama amidst the series of meetings as both Lamido and Amaechi taunted Tukur with “former chairman”. As Funke, Obasanjo’s daughter, was exchanging pleasantries with Tukur, Lamido held her hand and dragged her away; but her insistence that she wanted to greet the chairman elicited a joke from Lamido who said: “Which chairman? You mean the former chairman? Amaechi’s was even more dramatic as he accosted Tukur with a harder joke. “Former chairman, thank God we now have a brand new chairman who understands the constitution that if you suspend a party man and the NEC does not ratify that suspension after 30 days, the action (suspension) automatically lapses.” The chairman of the new PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, accompanied by Lamido, moved to inspect the secretariat of the new PDP located at Plot 3206 A, No. 4 Oyi River Crescent, Maitama District. It was the former office of the National Democratic Party (NDP). Construction was still going on in the building as labourers were seen placing interlocking tiles on the road leading to it. The gate was painted in the red, white and green colours of the PDP. A partially covered signpost on the building revealed an insignia similar to that of the PDP. Court refuses application to stop Atiku’s faction A federal high court in Abuja yesterday refused to grant an ex parte application by the Tukur-led PDP to stop the activities of the Baraje’s faction. Chief Tochukwu Onwubufor (SAN), on behalf of Tukur, had asked the court to restrain Baraje and other executive members of the faction from parading themselves as the national executives of the party. But Justice Elvis Chukwu in his ruling refused the application and ordered that the respondents be put on notice and that the notice should be served through substituted means. The court also ordered that the parties should maintain status quo ante pending the determination of the suit. Justice Chukwu fixed September 12 for the hearing of the motion on notice. In a reaction to the ruling, Tukur charged members of the party to close ranks and remain committed to its cause. In a statement he personally signed, Tukur reassured PDP members that the recent developments within the party would neither distract nor dilute the readiness and focus of his leadership to deliver on his mandate. PDM to accept aggrieved PDP govs, lawmakers Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has said it is open to alliances and consultation with progressives to chart a new course for Nigeria. The party said those feigning ignorance of the registration of the PDM as a political party and disparaging the action in the media are detractors sponsored by external forces. The PDM deputy national chairman, Hon Bode Ajewole, stated this yesterday in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend. He said the party is open to alliances from any political party and Nigerians who share in its ideology of fairness in the polity He said: “Our ideologies are miles apart from what the PDP is now doing. We believe in human face in everything we do. How do you explain as politicians that we have millions of unemployed graduates and we say we are in politics or we are in government? We want to show Nigerians that our policies are different in the sense that we believe that Nigeria must be taken out of the woods. Government at all levels must rise to the challenge of a new Nigeria. Nobody is doing enough.” Speaking on the factionalisation of the PDP, he said: “What is happening is their family business. But if any of the breakaway governors or assembly men decides to team up with us, we will be very willing to have them. We are open to all Nigerians. We are all about fairness in the polity. If the people in PDP feel that there is unfairness in the system, please come on board to PDM where we have enough space for those who cherish fairness.” I won’t leave PDP unless dismissed - Aliyu Also yesterday, the governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, said that the PDP remains the most democratic party in the country. At a business lecture organised by the Lagos Country Club with the theme “Marriage of 1914 - Blessing or Curse?” Aliyu said he would not leave PDP for any other party unless he was dismissed. Nigeria, he said, must seek to deepen the cardinal focus of the 1914 amalgamation as well as her democratic institutions and principles. He pointed out that Nigerians love to live together but only a few people were fanning the embers of discord. “It is not enough to blame amalgamation while losing the opportunity to correct observed lapses. Our amalgamation was quite unique on account of bringing two desperate and contending forces together to forge an excellent marriage among the Mohammadan and pagan divides to live together as one single entity.” The governor further said that Nigeria has consistently got it wrong in the process of the emergence of leaders. “Those who take leadership positions and are not willing to be criticised or listen to the people must be prepared to leave their offices,” he said. Lagos PDP passes confidence vote on Jonathan The Lagos State chapter of the PDP has passed a vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan. At a stakeholders’ meeting of the state chapter, which took place at the residence of a former national deputy chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, members also endorsed the last mini convention of the party. In his address, George admitted that though the “PDP is at a crossroads”, members must sheathe their swords in the interest of peace. The event attracted, among others, Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro, Hon. Femi Onimole, and Lagos State PDP chairman Mr Tunji Shelle. In suing for peace, George said: “My passionate appeal to everyone now is that we must not point fingers of wrongs or right. We must rise above the narrow fixities of factions. We must look beyond personal grievances and personal interests.” While attributing the strength and successes of the PDP to the fact that the party has the ability to manage its crisis, he said: “We never push an iron-clad authoritarian position on our people. We respect what other people have to say.” On the crisis in the south-west PDP, George said there is no crisis in the party in the zone. He said efforts are on to ensure that a rancour-free congress is held in the zone soon. “There is no crisis in south-west. We have to delay the congress for sanity to prevail. It is reconciliation before congress,” he said. #sardaunamagazine We Support: : facebook/APCNig
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 05:20:00 +0000