National chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Bamanga Tukur may be the victim of a meeting of critical stakeholders of the party which commenced at the Presidential Villa last night. The meeting, which was going on at press time, had President Goodluck Jonathan in attendance. It was called at the instance of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and was meant, among others, to assess the crisis that has bedeviled the PDP as well as the circumstances surrounding the conflict that the May 24 election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) brought about, LEADERSHIP gathered.
The former president was said to have personally written all the governors elected on the PDP platform, inviting them for the meeting.
This is the first time such a meeting was taking place since the controversial NGF election, which saw the re-emergence of the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as chairman of the governors’ elite caucus: both factions of the NGF represented by Amaechi and the Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, were in attendance.
A source close to the parley gave indications that none of the governors elected on the platform of the PDP is happy with Tukur. The national chairman of the ruling party has not called a meeting of the governors since he came on board, he said.
According to him, the crisis in the PDP would not have degenerated to its present state had Obasanjo shown keen interest in the affairs of the party. The former president’s body language was worrisome, the source said.
He expressed optimism that, with the former president’s intervention, the tension within the PDP would “mellow and far-reaching decisions shall be taken to overhaul the PDP”.
But the source said Obasanjo’s acceptance to broker peace among warring tendencies in the PDP was not a tea party. He, however, stated that the parley would resolve all issues as, according to him, the former president had given indications that every bit of crisis within the PDP would be resolved before all those in attendance would be allowed to leave the villa.
He said: “There is no pretence about it; everyone missed ‘Baba’ (Obasanjo) for the brief period he remained indifferent to affairs in the PDP. We were all worried about the body language of the former president because his refusal to be part of activities in the party became a general thing to worry about. Also, there is this impression that the former president and President Jonathan were fighting; we know there is nothing like that but there is the need to close up the relationship more effectively than before, which is why some of us made efforts to reach out to Chief Obasanjo to intervene in the crisis because it is not good for both the PDP and the presidency.
“For now, you all know that even though the APC cannot go anywhere, its approval to be registered as a party is shaking everybody and putting all on their toes; this is coupled with the fact that some governors who are close to him have become more and more radical.
“We just thought that the former president can talk to them and douse the tension in the party because they are all his boys who will listen to him when he talks to them.
“The assurance is that, after tonight’s meeting, PDP will not be the same crisis-ridden way you see it now; everything would have been put to rest except that the only issue we as stakeholders have had to contend with is that of the national chairman of the party.”
According to the party chieftain, as national chairman of the PDP, Tukur had not called a meeting of all PDP governors before the commencement of the crisis. He said the only attempt made by Tukur was marred by poor attendance — only four PDP governors attended. The meeting, according to him, had to be postponed.
He alleged that, ever since, Tukur has been holding isolated meetings with individual governors, a situation he said had accentuated mutual distrust and suspicion among the governors. “We must reorganize PDP if we must win in 2015,” he warned.
The meeting which had dragged into the early hours of today was preceded by an all-night meeting of President Jonathan and governors loyal to him on Sunday night.
The governors, especially those of the PDP, had left the venue of their NGF factional meeting in Maitama, Abuja, for the presidential villa to confer with the president.
Tukur to 5 northern PDP governors: We are waiting for you
Meanwhile, an ever-recalcitrant Tukur chided the five northern governors of the party, telling them that the party leadership was waiting for them whenever they finished consulting across the country.
Tukur, in his first press conference after his trip for the Hajj, also said it was not the place of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide who the chairman of Anambra State PDP is.
He also commented on the health challenge of the chairman of the party’s Disciplinary Committee, Dr Umaru Dikko, saying “when somebody is sick, we wish him well”.
On the barrage of criticisms heaped on the PDP by the All Progressives Congress, Tukur said, “Opposition is to oppose. They have the right to oppose. We have delivered.”
Five PDP governors — Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) — have been visiting former heads of state and other prominent Nigerians in the country.
Commenting on the tour of the five governors, Tukur said, “They are still consulting; when they finish consulting, then, we will know what they want to tell us.”
He further said: “As much as we as a party respect the constitutional right of individuals to public opinions, movement and association, such exercise should be done with some element of civility and in keeping with the norms of the society, the party’s constitution and guidelines.
“To this effect, it is advisable that party faithful who are aggrieved should use the party’s internal resolution platform, that is to say the party’s reconciliation committee or the leadership of the party.”
On Anambra, he said: “First, let me educate those who may not understand the role of INEC. INEC is to supervise, they are not to recognise anybody. It is not in the purview or responsibility of INEC to recognise. It is the party that recognises based on their own two-third if they witnessed election. They cannot accept an election if they did not witness it. So this matter is being resolved.
“There is no problem whatsoever. I am happy to tell you that, as we are talking now, preparation for ward congress is going on in Anambra. This time round, Anambra will be cool and performing.”
INEC had on Monday insisted that Ejike Oguebego was the recognised chairman of Anambra State PDP, while the party has maintained that Ken Emeakayi is its state party chairman.
On the issue of INEC registration of the APC, Tukur said: “The PDP as a party in power at the federal and most of the state governments welcome the APC on board and political terrain of Nigerian politics.
“PDP as a united and formidable political organisation under a big and unshakable umbrella does not require a merger or coalition with any political organisation to face any other political party in the country to implement her genuine economic programmes aimed at alleviating the sufferings of Nigerian masses under the transformation agenda of dear president Dr Ebele Goodluck Jonathan.”
On the Reconciliation Committee of Bayelsa State governor Henry Seriake Dickson, he said: “You know reconciliation and discipline, that is, the carrot and stick approach; it is always there. Disciplinary and reconciliation committee, carrot and stick — it is all meant to be applied. Secondly, we meet with all our members; in fact, we recognise everybody — whether you are in the village you are a member; and I will recognise you as a member. When you get out ticket as governor we will also recognise you as governor.
“We work in harmony even with the governors. The governor is not just going on with his work without referring to former things. I can assure you. On reconciliation we want to do a very good job. Reconciliation is not only for members of our party.
“It is also for those who are not members of our party. They may be affected by what our members are doing. That was why we had that Alex Ekwueme committee of 59 wise men. And I can assure you that we also crosscheck with some of them so that they can help us. We are leaving no stone unturned in trying to reconcile our members into the party to ensure we are working together in peace and harmony.”
‘What Gov Amaechi told Jonathan’
For the first time since the face-off between them came to the fore, President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State met three weeks ago behind closed doors, LEADERSHIP can authoritatively report.
The meeting which held at the Aso Rock Villa was said have been initiated by five governors who had earlier met with the president to broker peace.
Sources at the meeting informed LEADERSHIP that the Rivers State governor used the opportunity to explain to President Jonathan the grey areas in the conflict, after assuring him that he had nothing personal against him and was not planning to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Amaechi was said to have told President Jonathan that oil wells belonging to Rivers State were arbitrarily handed over to Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Abia states by the National Boundaries Commission (NBC) at the behest of The Presidency.
According to the source, Amaechi told Jonathan that when he complained and demanded the return of the oil wells, only a few non-producing oil wells were given back by Akwa Ibom.
Amaechi was also said to have told the president that he should not be held responsible for the stand the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) took on the issues of the mismanagement of the Excess Crude Account (ECA) by the federal government, the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and the subsidy funds. The governor was said to have told Jonathan that all the state governors, irrespective of political party platforms, agreed on the positions reached and that he was only the NGF chairman.
On the festering crisis in Rivers State, the governor told the president that all his security apparati had been withdrawn on the orders of his wife Patience, in a bid to make the state ungovernable.
Furthermore, he told Jonathan that he no longer held security meetings in the state as the commissioner of police and director of State Security Service (SSS), among others, now took instructions from The Presidency.
He was also said to have told the president that attempts to re-deploy the state commissioner of police, Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu, was stopped by his wife Patience, who ordered the commissioner of police in Imo State who had been re-deployed to Rivers State to remain in Owerri.
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