Indications have emerged that the end may not be in sight for the unfolding crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as it was confirmed at the weekend that both sides to the crisis are prepared to go for broke. Sources in the party told Sunday Tribune that the president’s men are prepared to see the back of the aggrieved members of the party after today’s meeting, especially if they continue to stall the peace process after the meeting. It was gathered that loyalists of the president believe that since the main grouse of some of the aggrieved PDP member is how to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2015 election, it would be almost impossible to meet such demand. “Many of these aggrieved people will not be satisfied, unless the president drops his ambition; but since that will not happen, the real solution to the crisis could be said to be far away,” a source said, adding that the president could be forced to deal decisively with the situation, if the aggrieved members continued to be recalcitrant. It was also gathered that the president has made up his mind that he will not interfere with the job of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by stopping ongoing investigation of some of them. The source further said that the president is, however, ready to address genuine complaints of the PDP members where they exist. Informed Presidency source told Sunday Tribune on Saturday that the peace meeting, which will be held at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja, was a follow-up to the earlier reconciliation meetings between the warring factions in the party. The source also disclosed that other prominent party members expected at the make-or-mar meeting are the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih; two former national chairmen of the party, Senator Banabas Gemade and Dr. Ahmadu Alli; and the national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. The aggrieved governors are those of Rivers, Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto, Kano, Adamawa and Kwara states. It was gathered that the affected governors would have met with some prominent members of the group with a view to harmonising their positions and demands ahead of today’s meeting. The demands of the group includes the removal from office of Alhaji Tukur as national chairman of the party, cancellation of the party’s last national convention, renunciation of President Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambition, restoration of state executives of the party in the affected states, peaceful resolution of the Rivers State political crisis and confirmation of Governor Rotimi Ameachi as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), among others. We will fight on —Baraje group In a related development, Sunday Tribune gathered on Saturday that the Alhaji Baraje-led New PDP has vowed that its members would not shift ground until all its demands were fully met. One of the aides to one of the aggrieved governors told Sunday Tribune in confidence that there was no going back on the demands of the group saying, “it is no retreat, no surrender.” According to the aide; “I can confirm to you that we are heading for Abuja now for the meeting summoned by Mr. President on how to resolve the crises in the party. My governor and his colleagues in the struggle are fighting a genuine cause and they have resolved not to look back or be intimidated to shift ground. They have made their demands known and on those demands they stand; they are not ready to shift ground for whatever reason.” Cabinet member in trouble over Tukur Meanwhile, Sunday Tribune learnt that a senior cabinet member of the Jonathan-led administration is now in serious trouble for allegedly deceiving Alhaji Tukur at the peak of the crisis rocking the party, having said that President Jonathan directed him to inform him (Tukur) to resign as the national chairman of the party for peace to reign. A Presidency source told Sunday Tribune in confidence that, rather than tender his resignation letter as directed by the senior cabinet member, who is from the South-East geopolitical zone, Alhaji Tukur contacted the Presidency to authenticate the claim, based on his last discussion with President Jonathan and the claim was immediately dismissed. Our source revealed that when the said cabinet member was confronted as to the authenticity of his directive to Alhaji Tukur, he was said to have denied claiming that he was sent by the president, saying that he only advised Tukur, in his own capacity, as a personal friend. The source said further that based on this development, the action of the cabinet member was being viewed in the Presidency as an act of disloyalty to the president, considering the sensitive position he is holding in the administration
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 02:27:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015