#PDP Crisis Deepens: Tukur Blasts @SpeakerTambuwal, G-7 Govs In US - TopicsExpress



          

#PDP Crisis Deepens: Tukur Blasts @SpeakerTambuwal, G-7 Govs In US Barely 13 days to the rescheduled meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), otherwise known as the G-7, the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has taken a swipe at the governors and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. While Tukur chided Tambuwal for his comment that the ruling party would find it difficult to win the 2015 general elections without the G-7 governors who had gone to form another faction of the party, the governors came under the national chairman’s jab for being selfish politicians who want to use the crisis to achieve what they want. Tukur also found offensive the speaker’s opinion that he (Tukur) should be persuaded to resign as national chairman of the PDP. Tukur reacted to Tambuwal’s comment in the United States, the same country where the speaker spoke two weeks ago. Amidst Tukur’s reaction were indications that President Jonathan is billed to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly before the October 7 meeting. The speaker had, penultimate week, said that it would be hard for the ruling party to record any success in the forthcoming 2015 general elections in the country if its leadership failed to find a way of bringing back the seven state governors that broke away at the party’s mini-convention last month. Tambuwal, who was addressing the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, stated that it had been one problem after the other in the PDP since Tukur’s assumption of office as the party’s national chairman. But the embattled chairman told LEADERSHIP in New York yesterday that the comment from Tambuwal was wrong, adding that he was sure that his party would have an edge over the opposition without the G-7 governors. Vowing that he would not be distracted by the comments from the speaker, Tukur, who is in the US for his annual African Business Roundtable, said that he (Tambuwal) should be asked what he (Tukur) had done wrong to be persuaded to resign. “I want to say it to all Nigerians that I am not a problem to my party. Yes, I am not a problem to PDP, but if Tambuwal thinks that I am a problem to our great party, ask him to tell me what I have done wrong to warrant his comments about me. I challenge him to come out openly and mention one single thing that I have done to show that I am the problem that will make the party fail in 2015,” he said. “I am not going to resign because I was elected and given the mandate as national chairman of our great party by our members. I am not going to bother myself about the stupid calls for my resignation. The mandate that I have now is to reconcile our people; my mandate is to take our party to greater height; my mandate is also to build Nigeria.” On the issue of factions in the party, Tukur said that there was nothing like factional PDP, as only one PDP is recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian citizens. He added that any other group that called itself PDP was committing a criminal offence. On the demand of the G-7 governors are making as solutions to the crisis rocking the ruling party, Tukur said that such demand is selfish and is not in the good interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. He said, “What issues have the G-7 governors raised and why are they telling the president to ask the EFCC not to investigate them again? Anybody that has issues with the EFCC should be investigated, and nobody should try to cover his/her evil deeds under the pretence of giving any conditions for making peace in the party. Whoever that has any corruption case among them should allow the security agents do their job by doing proper investigations. “They are also saying that my resignation is one of the factors that can bring peace back into the party, but I stand to reject that. My resignation should not be the demand of the seven aggrieved governors.” Jonathan to meet Mark, Tambuwal ahead October 7 meeting with G-7 govs Meanwhile, President Jonathan is expected to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly to woo them to his side in the ongoing squabbles rocking the PDP. A source told LEADERSHIP that the president’s meeting with the NASS leadership will take place ahead of the October 7 reconciliatory meeting. Lately, new PDP loyalists have been claiming that the presidency was itching to impeach the duo of the president of the Senate, David Mark, and Tambuwal. This is even as foot soldiers of the presidency in the National Assembly have also been pointing fingers at the new PDP over alleged plots against President Jonathan. Speaking under anonymity, a reliable presidency source disclosed at the weekend that the president had resolved to meet with Mark and Tambuwal in order to explain his view on the PDP crisis with a view to wooing them to his side. South-west chapter in crisis over ministerial slots The PDP has, again, been thrown into another round of crisis in the south-west. This time round, the thrust of the crisis is the replacements for the ministerial positions vacated by Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru and Erelu Olusola Obada. Prominent chieftains of the party in the region shunned a stakeholders’ meeting summoned by the leader of the party in the state and former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George. The slot, believed to be for the entire south-west, has been the subject of disagreement within the party since Jonathan reportedly told the PDP leadership to nominate names for appointment as minister to replace the nine cabinet members he recently sacked. It was learnt that while Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states have forwarded the names of one nominee each for the vacant slot, three names were forwarded from Lagos State. But the names forwarded from Lagos were alleged to have been rejected by the national leadership of the party following protests from prominent leaders that Bode George did not consult any of them in arriving at the names sent. Bode George had convened a stakeholders’ forum. The meeting was held last Sunday at his Lugard Avenue, Ikoyi, home. But nearly all the notable party chieftains expected at the meeting chose to stay away. Prominent among party leaders who shunned the parley are Dr Abayomi Finnih, Chief (Mrs) Modupe Sasore, Chief Remi Adiukwu Bakare, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Chief Deji Doherty, Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro, Chief Rasheed Williams, amongst others. PDP passes vote of confidence on Jonathan’s chief of staff Oghiadomhe The national leadership of the PDP yesterday passed a vote of confidence on the chief of staff to the president, Chief Mike Oghiadiomhe, and warned the party faithful and organs against making indiscriminate pronouncements on persons holding sensitive positions in the party or in the party-led administration. The party therefore dismissed as “inconsequential and of no effect” the passage of vote of no confidence on the chief of staff to the president, Chief Mike Oghiadiomhe, by some aggrieved persons from Edo North senatorial zone. A chapter of the PDP in Edo North had demanded the removal of Ogiadomhe as its leader, at a meeting of elders in the district held at Afashio-Jattu in Etsako West local government area of Edo State. But the PDP leadership, in a statement signed by the national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, urged Nigerians to disregard the said vote of no confidence, even as it warned that it will no longer tolerate indiscriminate and wanton pronouncements by party members and organs against persons legitimately holding sensitive positions in the party and the PDP-led administration. The statement reads: “The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hereby declares as inconsequential and of no effect the passage of vote of no confidence on the chief of staff to the president, Chief Mike Oghiadiomhe, by some aggrieved persons from Edo North Senatorial Zone. “Also we have taken serious note of various sponsored malicious news stories and articles targeted at ridiculing the office and person of the chief of staff to the president and other leaders of our party. “We wish to state categorically that we are highly pleased with the contributions of Chief Mike Oghiadiomhe to national development and the growth and stability of our party. “Chief Mike Oghiadiomhe is a very committed, loyal and dedicated leader of our party who has continued to selflessly and meritoriously serve at very high levels with outstanding performance records as a two-time deputy governor of Edo State, former chief of staff to the vice president and currently the chief of staff the president of our great country. “The NWC therefore seriously frowns at any attempt by any person or group of persons to in any way ridicule the person and office of the chief of staff to the president under any guise. In the same vein, the leadership of the party will no longer tolerate indiscriminate and wanton pronouncements by party members and organs against persons legitimately holding sensitive positions in the party and the PDP-led administration. “All loyal and well-meaning members of the PDP who have any grievance should air such through the internal channels of communication provided in the party instead of engaging in misguided public pronouncements and mudslinging in the media.” #LEADERSHIP
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:38:26 +0000

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