New PDP adamant, elects NWC officers •17 state PDP chairmen shun meeting with Tukur THE crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party has continued to defy all peace moves as the Abubakar Baraje-led faction on Monday announced the appointment of more members into its National Working Committee. The announcement by the National Secretary of the faction, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, came barely 72 hours after the police laid siege to their secretariat in Abuja. It also coincided with the boycott of a meeting convened by the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, in Abuja on Monday by 17 state chairmen of the party. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to continue his peace talks with all the governors elected on the PDP platform at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (today). But Oyinlola, in a statement in Abuja, said the stakeholders of theNew PDP across the country had ratified the election of members of the NWC. Apart from Baraje, who is the NWC chairman and Dr Sam Sam Jaja, deputy national chairman, Maode Hiliya was named the deputy national secretary; Timi Frank, national youth leader; and Mrs. Binta Koje, national woman leader. Others are Mallam Nasir Issa, national organising secretary ; Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, national publicity secretary; Aliyu Wadada, national financial secretary; and Mallam Tanko Gomna, national treasurer. Oyinlola however did not say when and where the NWC members were elected. Also on Monday, Tukur hosted 19 state chairmen of the PDP and their Federal Capital Territory counterpart in his bid to win their support against the Baraje-led group. It was learnt that the majority of the 17 state chairmen that stayed away from the meeting attended the PDP post-convention dinner, which was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Sunday night. Before the dinner, all the state chairmen had also met at the Agura Hotel, Abuja where discussions were held on the party’s crisis. The chairmen that were absent from the meeting with Tukur were those of Kano, Sokoto, Kwara, Niger, Jigawa, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra, Taraba, Kebbi, Borno, Bauchi, Delta, Edo and Bayelsa states. In attendance were chairmen from Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Oyo, Cross River, Adamawa, Yobe, Ekiti, Benue, Kogi, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Nasarawa, Ondo, Lagos, Gombe, Ogun, Osun and Plateau states and the FCT. The Chairman of the Conference of the PDP State Chairmen, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, confirmed to journalists that some of his colleagues who were absent from the meeting attended the post-convention dinner. He said some of the chairmen from states such as Bayelsa, Enugu, Edo and Ebonyi sent apologies that they were returning to their respective states on Monday morning. He said, “The decisions we took at the meeting were endorsed by our colleagues, whether present or not. But if you doubt me, I can call and put them on the speaker phone.” At the meeting, Tukur said it was only the PDP that could guarantee Nigeria’s unity and that of the entire Africa. He said, “Today, no party in Nigeria has spread like PDP and that means that people accept our party. It means also that it is a big responsibility, hence the people believe there must be equity and justice. I am analogue, while you are digital. I will give you wisdom to tackle tomorrow and we believe that ev
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 05:56:54 +0000
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