Efforts to swiftly resolve the crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the aftermath of its factionalisation, have run into a hitch, as the New PDP has withdrawn from further talks with President Goodluck Jonathan and other party stalwarts.
THISDAY has also learnt that 22 senators on the ruling party’s platform pledged their loyalty to the splinter group, effectively crossing carpet to the New PDP.
The withdrawal by members of the New PDP, which was formed last Saturday in response to the deep-seated grievances of some major stakeholders, has led to the cancellation of the meeting slated for Tuesday with the president at the State House, Abuja.
The aborted meeting was to have been a follow-up to the one held on Sunday night and attended by 16 governors, including four from the splinter group, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih and National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), among others.
The four governors from the New PDP that attended the meeting were Alhaji Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Alhaji Abudfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).
Three other governors of the splinter group not at the meeting were Mr. Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).
The seven governors, along with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and some other PDP bigwigs, had pulled out of the party’s special national convention on Saturday to announce the birth of the splinter group.
However, Sunday’s meeting with the president was inconclusive, necessitating the need for the one earlier scheduled for Tuesday.
Investigations Monday revealed that members of the New PDP had decided not to participate further in the peace talks for now because those that attended the Sunday meeting, which ended at 2.05 am Monday, did so without the consent of their colleagues.
A source said they were queried on why they acted unilaterally by attending the meeting, adding that it was decided that whatever decision that would be taken would have to be done collectively.
According to the source, henceforth, the New PDP will decide whether or not to meet with the president and other members of the PDP.
Notwithstanding its withdrawal from further peace talks with the president, the New PDP has stepped up efforts to consolidate its position in the polity.
It was learnt that membership of the New PDP would soon be swollen with more elected officers of the PDP defecting to the splinter group.
Already, 22 senators have congratulated the New PDP and pledged their unfettered loyalty to the Baraje-led PDP national executive.
The 22 senators are: Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, Mohammed Ali Ndume, Ahmad Zannah, Abdullahi Adamu, Abdullahi Danladi Sankara, Abdulmumini Mohammed Hassan, Umaru Dahiru, Ahmed Mohammed Maccido, Muhammad Sha'aba Lafiaji, Simeon Sule Ajibola and Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Others are Magnus Ngei Abe, Wilson Asinobi Ake, Danjuma Mohammed Goje, Saidu Ahmed Alkali, Ahmed Hassan Barata, Bindowo Umar Mohammed Jibrilla, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir, Bashir Garba Mohammad, Abdulaziz Usman and Isa Galaudu.
In a statement issued and signed by the senators, they said: “We heartily rejoice with our patriots and eminent Nigerians led by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, GCON, and the Governors of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Wamakko, (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), for the bold, swift and courageous step to reposition the People's Democratic Party under a new leadership.
“We congratulate the new chairman, Alhaji Abdulahi Kawu Baraje, the Deputy Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinola, and other members of the National Executive Committee for their emergence as leaders of our great party.
“By this decision that no doubt provides a soothing balm that will calm frail (sic) nerves in the party, you have written your names in gold and will be remembered in our political history as men that stood to save the party and Nigeria’s democracy.
“We therefore, pledge our unfettered loyalty to the Barage led-PDP National Executive.”
Instructively, most of the 22 senators that have joined the New PDP were identified by THISDAY in Monday’s edition of the newspaper as likely members to break away from the ruling party.
It was gathered that with the factionalisation of the PDP, there are legal grounds for realignment of political allegiance by members without losing their elective positions, especially by federal and state lawmakers.
According to Section 68, subsection 1(g) of the 1999 Constitution, “A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if- being a person whose election in the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored…”
Section 109 subsection 1(g) also provides the same legal shield for members of the state legislature who change camps due to the factionalisation of their political party.
Meanwhile, New PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Monday told THISDAY that the group would open its national secretariat tomorrow in Abuja while also unveiling the names of more national officers of the party.
Although Baraje did not disclose the location of the new office, THISDAY gathered that it will be located within Maitama District in Abuja.
It was further learnt that the New PDP is moving promptly to set up state chapters that will be run by interim executives.
Baraje said the New PDP was waxing stronger and was poised to shift the battle to the National Assembly.
He said: “From the look of things, we are consolidating and waxing stronger under the new leadership led by me. By Wednesday (tomorrow), we shall be speaking to you from our new office. There is only one leadership and it is under me as the chairman.”
The New PDP also Monday thanked Nigerians for their support for the party. It also sent a condolence message to members of its Adamawa State chapter on the road crash that killed some delegates from the state on Saturday.
A statement by the New PDP National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, which emphasised the resolve of the new leadership to continue with its mission of rescuing the PDP, added that members and leaders from all states of the country had continued to reach out to its secretariat in solidarity.
“Alhaji Baraje and other leaders of the party appreciate the overwhelming outpouring of support and encouragement from genuine members and leaders of the party across the country. We assure them that we will not disappoint them in the mission to make the PDP work again in the interest of Nigeria and its people.
“We also appreciate the efforts of leaders of the party, particularly President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo who, we note, have scheduled a meeting of the party elders for this week.
“We respect the elders and will be guided by them even as we stress that we will not abandon the ideals of justice and fairness that gave birth to the new party leadership under Alhaji Baraje,” he said.
The faction has however gone to court to stop PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and some National Working Committee (NWC) members from parading themselves as officials of the party.
In the suit filed at an Ikeja High Court, the faction asked it to restrain Tukur, Uche Secondus, Mrs. Kema Chikwe, Olisa Metuh and others from parading themselves as members of the national executive of the PDP.
The plaintiffs in the suit are Kawu, Oyinlola and the deputy national chairman of the faction, Dr. Sam Jaja Sam.
They are also seeking a motion ex-parte asking for leave to serve the defendants outside the jurisdiction of the court.
In its ruling, the court granted the plaintiffs leave to serve the defendants in their various locations.
But it declined the motion for an urgent hearing of the matter, saying there was no urgency over who should hold what office and directed that the status quo should be maintained.
The court adjourned until September 9 to take arguments on the motion on notice.
In another development, the Rivers State Governor, Amaechi, has said he belongs to the Baraje faction of the PDP.
Amaechi stated this during an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt shortly after arriving from Abuja Monday.
Answering a question on the walkout by some PDP governors and stakeholders at the special convention in Abuja, Amaechi said: “I am not the national chairman, the national chairman is Abubakar Kawu Baraje and he is the only person who is qualified to speak for now or the publicity secretary.
“All you know is that I belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abubakar Kawu Baraje and we are forging ahead because we need to make some changes.”
On PDP’s electoral fortunes in 2015, he said: “Well, when we get to 2015 God will determine that. We can’t be discussing 2015 now. We will discuss 2015 when we get to 2015.”
Asked to comment on the decision of Rivers statutory delegates to boycott Saturday’s convention, Amaechi said: “You know, the chairman of the party and the members of the National Assembly and House of Assembly took that decision, I wasn’t around, so I wouldn’t know what to say about that. But the most important thing is that we are on course.”
Source: Thisday
No comments:
Post a Comment