- Tukur's removal high on the agenda as battle could move to National Assembly
The splinter group comprises, among others, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and seven governors as members.
The governors are Alhaji Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Alhaji Abudfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Mr. Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers).The meeting with the president, which ended at 2.05 am, enabled both sides to open up on their grievances and resolved to have a follow-up meeting tomorrow to consider further ways of ending the crisis that has torn the party apart.
Governors at the meeting were Aliyu, Kwankwaso, Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Nyako, Idris Wada (Kogi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Jonah Jang (Plateau) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom).
Others were Ahmed (Kwara), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Murktar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Garba Umar (Taraba acting governor), Seidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Theodore Orji (Abia), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe).
Also present were the counsel to PDP, Joe Kyari Gadzama; National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd); Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; and the president’s Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe.
Owing to the short notice, the governors of Sokoto, Jigawa and Rivers were however absent from the meeting.
During the meeting, the breakaway governors made it clear that they had no intention of leaving the party, but had some grievances which needed to be resolved.
They were frank during their discussions and it was agreed that a follow-up meeting would take place tomorrow with all the governors of the PDP, the president, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and the party's chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih.
A source also disclosed that even though the so-called renegade governors were frank during their meeting with the president, their decision to break away was informed by the need to, among other reasons, give members of the National Assembly the opportunity to join their faction without actually leaving the party.
“We have not yet decided to go anywhere. It (New PDP) was created to allow the National Assembly members, if they so wish, to join the faction, as the constitution does not permit defection, except there is a division in the party on whose platform such a member is elected.
“However, members of New PDP will only stay on if Jonathan show signs of genuine reconciliation and meets their demands. The first demand is the removal of the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
“The second is Amaechi’s delegates were not allowed at the convention and (former deputy national chairman) Sam Jaja who resigned with other National Working Committee (NWC) members in June was kept out. But the New PDP wants him restored.
“They will give the president one week to meet their demands before deciding on the next course of action, but their minimum demand is that Tukur must go,” a source said.
Sources further said the reason Jonathan was reluctant to remove Tukur all along was that Jaja, who was the deputy before his resignation, would have become the acting chairman.
As a loyalist of Amaechi, with whom the president is engaged in a political fight, he could not be trusted with such a sensitive position.
However, it was learnt that with the emergence of Mr. Uche Secondus as the Tukur’s deputy at Saturday’s convention, the president might be amenable to Tukur’s ouster.
THISDAY was also informed that some ministers and presidential aides were spoiling for a fight, by making the states of the renegade governors ungovernable for them.
But the president was said to have rejected the idea and told them not to do so as he would rather make peace with the governors who had left the party.
In furtherance of the peace initiative, Jonathan also met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo along with the Beninese President Boni Yayi after a church service at the presidential villa in Abuja yesterday.
During the meeting, it was learnt that he appealed to Yayi, who considers Obasanjo a father figure, to urge the former president to forgive him for whatever transgressions he might have committed, as he too considered Obasanjo to be his father.
However, Clark, a core Jonathan loyalist, said the factionalisation of PDP would not affect the president’s chances of contesting the 2015 presidential election.
He also accused Obasanjo of masterminding the alleged gang up against Jonathan.
Despite the peace meetings, the battle between the two factions of the ruling party has shifted to the National Assembly for the control of its leadership, investigations by THISDAY have revealed.
Investigations by THISDAY showed that should there be signs that Jonathan was ready for genuine reconciliation, the New PDP members would remain in the party and maintain the status quo in the leadership of the National Assembly.
According to sources, however, should the president bow to pressure from his coterie of aides and associates to adopt strong-arm tactics in dealing with the situation, instead of embracing genuine reconciliation, the New PDP would move to take over the leadership of the federal legislature.
As part of their plans to take over the leadership of the National Assembly, it was gathered that chieftains of the New PDP have begun exploratory talks with the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a view to forging a working relations.
Governors elected on the platform of the opposition party yesterday welcomed the factionalisation of the ruling party, which they described as “a necessary and inevitable result of the repressive rule of the PDP.”
However, the New PDP chieftains might consider moving to the opposition only if the president failed to amicably address the issues that caused the breakup of the party.
Already, THISDAY learnt that the New PDP might have 34 members in the Senate, which when added to the 32 APC senators, would give them the edge to gain control of the Senate leadership.
It is already taken for granted that the New PDP with 67 and APC 137 members already have the majority in the House of Representatives to effect a change in its leadership if the need arises.
The plan by the lawmakers of the New PDP, if they succeed, is to, in conjunction with APC, begin amendment to critical laws, specifically the Electoral Act, to limit the use of security agencies for the conduct of elections.
The arrival at the numerical strength of the members of the New PDP in the National Assembly is based on the computation that lawmakers from the seven states whose governors are part of the breakaway group, would team up with their governors in the new camp.
It is also expected that at least 14 PDP lawmakers, who may have been seating on the fence for months, may pluck up the courage to join their colleagues in the New PDP.
In the meantime, Akpabio, who chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF), also yesterday announced moves by the forum to reconcile the aggrieved governors with the party.
Akpabio told THISDAY that the PDP-GF has waded into the matter with a view to resolving the crisis that led to his colleagues walking out of Saturday’s special national convention.
The forum, he added, had started reaching out to the aggrieved governors to find a way of settling the matter.
According to him, “Let me tell you that some of my colleagues and I have resolved here and now to ensure total reconciliation of the grievances in this matter. I can tell you that there was a break in communication.
“I was with the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and we even took pictures with the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, at the convention venue.
“This is a family affair and I can assure you that in a few days time, this matter would be resolved.”
But in its reaction to the breakup of PDP, the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), comprising APC governors, lauded the factionalisation of the ruling party, saying recent events, such as the orchestrated crisis in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), suspension and expulsion of PDP leaders, including governors were signposts of crisis that should unavoidably result in the split of any organisation.
The forum commend the courage and resilience of the New PDP for standing up to be counted among patriotic political leaders of Nigeria.
It pledged to support and work with the governors of the PDP faction and others to facilitate the accelerated development of the nation and its people.
Source: Thisday
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