INDICATIONS have emerged as to the reasons behind the plot by those loyal to the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in the formation of the “New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” as they are said to be against President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 ambition.
Details obtained from highly placed sources confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday that the former president’s loyalists had kickstarted their recruitment exercise with a meeting in Sokoto, ahead of the recent mini national convention of the party.
Sources said the current imbroglio in the party, leading to its factionalisation last week, was as a result of the disenchantment of the Obasanjo camp with the perceived second term ambition of the former president.
Also confirmed were the tasks set by the loyalists, which included ensuring Jonathan was ousted from the 2015 race; ensuring he was replaced with Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido; ensuring Senator Andy Uba was adopted as governorship candidate of PDP in Anambra and ensuring their continued relevance within the emerging PDP structure.
Sources said the last task was to help achieve the wish of Obasanjo, as he had confessed to close quarters in 2007 that he had chosen his successor and his next successor and that he was being careful so that his legacies were not “rubbished.”
They also confirmed that “a few days ago when the former president was in Sokoto to commission some projects, his loyalists met privately with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal; Governor Lamido and the Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko during which Tambuwal was urged to work for Lamido’s emergence as presidential candidate of PDP in 2015,” a source said.
It was not clear, however, if Tambuwal made any commitment, while the stance of the Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Lamido, on 2015 was not known.
The source further stated that Obasanjo’s loyalists had also analysed that if Jonathan wins the 2015 election, there would be calm in the Niger Delta, but reverse might be the case in the North, while if he loses, there would be crisis in the Niger Delta, with relative peace in the North.
“The best option in the thinking of the camp, therefore, is to stop Jonathan from joining the 2015 race through persuasion, cajoling and a form of intimidation, which is being seen in the division of PDP,” a source stated further.
Obasanjo must call his men to order -Group
The Media Network for Transformation (MNT), a non-governmental organisation, on Thursday, asked Chief Obasanjo to call his men to order and ensure peace reigns in the PDP.
The group, in a statement by its coordinator, Goodluck Ebelo, alleged that “apart from being their sponsor, the rebel governors draw their inspiration from him.
“Apart from numerous clandestine meetings, Obasanjo started his public romance with the rebel flank when he became unavoidably absent at this year’s Democracy Day celebration in Abuja, but participated in the day’s activities in Dutse, Jigawa State. That was followed by the rebel governors’ visit to his Abeokuta home.”
It also said Obasanjo’s absence from the mini national convention was more than meet the eyes.
Anenih cautions against provocative statements
Chairman of PDP’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, on Thursday, asked party leaders to stop making inflammatory statements as the crisis rocking the party are being resolved.
Anenih, in a statement in Abuja, said members must desist from statements that could further inflame the situation.
“Following the walk-out staged by some aggrieved members of our great party, PDP, at the special convention of August 31, there have been genuine efforts by the leadership of the party, including the president himself, to reach out and reconcile with the aggrieved members.
“A series of meetings have been held and more are scheduled to hold in the next few days.
“It is unfortunate that while the reconciliation efforts are being made, some of our members are making inflammatory statements, intimidating one another and issuing threats of court actions. Such actions do nothing but harm the efforts at reconciliation.
“Like a good family, we must avoid open confrontation and allow the leadership of the party to effect genuine reconciliation.
“Conflict is not new to PDP and, as in the past, I am confident that, in spite of the differences, the current one will be resolved, with the party coming out even stronger and more united than ever.
“I, therefore, call on all members of our great party to exercise restraint throughout this trying period,” the statement read.
Jonathan stays action
President Jonathan may have resolved to await the outcome of a meeting of elders and founding fathers of PDP, which holds today in Abuja, to determine the next step to contain the ongoing moves to break the party by some aggrieved members.
The meeting, earlier called by Chief Obasanjo, was expected to have in attendance, General Ibrahim Babangida, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Ahmadu Ali, Professor Jerry Gana and a host of others.
The resolve to involve the elder statesmen in the reconciliation efforts by the presidency and PDP arose from meetings held at different times by President Jonathan and Obasanjo, on one hand and the president with the aggrieved PDP governors at the Presidential Villa, last Sunday on the other..
The elders were expected to prevail on the aggrieved members of PDP and, indeed, the rebel governors, to have a change of mind on their plans to form a parallel PDP.
Although both President Jonathan and Obasanjo are currently in Kenya on separate missions, the former president had reportedly agreed to fly in to Abuja today to chair the meeting of PDP elders as scheduled.
‘New PDP’ threatens Tukur with jail term
The Baraje-led faction of the party has asked its lawyers to press a contempt charge against Alhaji Tukur, for flouting the orders of a Lagos High Court which asked both sides to maintain the status quo, pending the resolution of the case before it on who should lead the party.
A statement issued on Thursday night by the national secretary of the Baraje-led faction of PDP, Prince Oyinlola, condemned the press conference addressed by Tukur in Abuja on Wednesday, where he threatened to sack members of the National Assembly who had declared support for the faction and arrest its officers.
“We have asked our lawyers to press contempt charges against Tukur, because his statement was made in clear contempt of the orders of Lagos High Court which, three days ago, asked both sides to maintain the status quo. We will ask the court to commit him to jail for his disdain for the law and the judicial system.
“We have always been saying it that Tukur represents everything that must not be seen in a democratic organisation. His statement demonstrates not just impunity but also lawlessness and crass ignorance of the tenets of the law and democratic ethos,” the statement read.
Describing Nigeria as a democracy, Oyinlola said the police and other security agencies could not be used to further such agenda as being nurtured in the dictatorial mind of Tukur.
“Again, we believe only an ignorant person would threaten to sack elected senators and representatives for staying on the side of truth, justice and fairness. Tukur needs be reminded that members of the National Assembly were elected by the people of Nigeria and are not his appointees, who he could dismiss like the minions in his private residence,” it added.
The factional national secretary challenged Tukur to mention those who were with him, adding that “he should come to terms with the reality of the end of his reign of terror, impunity, dictatorship and lawlessness in the party.”
Repent now, Tukur warns ‘New PDP’
Alhaji Tukur, again, tackled leaders of the Baraje-led faction of the party, advising them to repent and mend their ways before the PDP train left them behind.
This came as women leaders of the party restated their loyalty to the Tukur-led leadership, declaring that President Jonathan should seek second term mandate in the 2015 presidential poll.
Addressing a meeting of zonal women and youth leaders of the party in Abuja, Tukur said disagreements in a family was not unusual, promising that renegade members of the party could be accepted back if they showed repentance.
“I know what is going on is of concern, but it is what can happen in a family. There may be crisis and disagreement but all should be resolved within the house and not outside,” Tukur, who attended the meeting after returning from another meeting at the State House, said.
Also, the national women leader of the party, Mrs Kema Chikwe, urged women and youth leaders of the party nationwide to shun the New PDP, describing them as “bad influence on the party.”
Chikwe who eulogised the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan, said the party had all internal organs to resolve internal disagreements, adding that “I urge women and youth leaders of our party to support the party leadership and President Jonathan.”
Meanwhile, a women group in the party, under the aegis of “Conference of PDP Female Career Politicians,” on Thursday, said it would be unfair for any individual or group within or outside the party to ask President Jonathan not to contest in 2015.
This came as the group, led by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, pleaded with the warring factions to sheathe their swords in the interest of the party.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Senator Ita-Giwa, flanked by other members of the group, said female politicians in the party “have found the need to come together to explore all legitimate avenues to douse the tensions currently plaguing the PDP, arising from the fall-out of the orchestrated and dramatic walk out at the party’s last mini-convention.”
She said the group would resolve the crisis in the party and restore sanity, so as not to render millions of party members across the states “political refugees.”
While acknowledging the reconciliatory efforts being initiated from various quarters, she said the group would be meeting with the leadership of the party, including Alhaji Tukur and the chairman of the BoT, among others.
‘New PDP’ Reps dare Tukur
Following the threat of suspension by the embattled national chairman of PDP on Wednesday, members of the House of Representatives who had declared support for the new PDP, on Thursday, dared Tukur to make real his threat, saying he had no power to suspend them.
The members, in a statement signed on their behalf by a member from Rivers State, Honourable Sekonte Davies, entitled, described Tukur as “a drowning man who should go down alone.”
The lawmakers said, from all relevant sections of laws and as severally pronounced by the Supreme Court, “you cannot declare anybody’s seat vacant, especially when the party is in factions. Moreover, since he has not been a member of the party, he does not also know that PDP is the greatest beneficiary of party factionalisation and fractionalisation in the present dispensation of our democratic journey.”
Also, members of the New PDP, in a statement on Thursday, dismissed threat by the Tukur that the defecting members of the party would lose their seats, contending that Section 68 of the Nigerian Constitution had belied such threat.
The statement, signed by Kenga Imo Ugochinyere on behalf of conveners of the New PDP, said “Section 68(1) holds that a member of any house of the legislature at any level, who decamps to another political party, cannot lose his seat as long as the reason for the cross carpeting was a result of a division or faction in his former political party.”
Osun PDP divided over Oyinlola
The Osun State chapter of PDP has, again, criticised the step taken by some members of the party, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, some state governors and especially former governor of the state, Prince Oyinlola, while calling on all members of the party in the state to shun any meeting convened by the “so-called new PDP”
The party, in a communique read after a stakeholders’ meeting attended by the Elders’ Committee led by former national deputy chairman and member of the party’s BoT, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, leaders of thought in the party, as well as aspirants for various positions, said the party was unanimously in support of the emergency meeting held in Abuja and the position condemning Oyinlola for his part among the divisive elements.
However, there have been sharp divisions over the meeting, with three of the party’s governorship aspirants, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Honourable Oluwole Oke and Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, saying they were not party to the decision taken at the meeting.
The communique noted that the state chapter of the party and its members remained committed to the PDP, ahead of the 2014 governorship election in the state and the 2015 general election
The meeting also commended the leadership of the party, even as it commended President Jonathan for the manner in which he had been tackling the challenges of the country and asked him to re-contest in 2015.
While fielding questions from journalists, Alhaji Oyedokun noted that the party was considering all options on Oyinlola’s action, including disciplinary measures, with the option of reconciliation not foreclosed.
However, Alhaji Akinbade said he was not party to the meeting, as he was not carried along.
On his part, Senator Olasunkanmi noted that though he agreed that a stakeholders’ meeting should be convened on the matter, “the meeting held was not representation of the stakeholders’ forum as constituted.”
Oke, who spoke from his London base, said he was a total PDP member and completely loyal to the president, but would not join “people to call anyone names because the leaders are talking on how to resolve their differences and when they settle it, I will not be there.”
But the party chairman, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, maintained that all the leaders and aspirants were carried along, with some of them even promising to be in attendance.
Source: Tribune
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