ABUJA — As elders in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, brainstorm on how to resolve the current crisis in the party in order not to lose ground to the opposition, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Tony Anenih, has challenged President Goodluck Jonathan and other party members who are interested in contesting for elective offices in 2015 general elections to declare their intentions before the end of this month.
Chief Anenih threw the challenge at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa Sunday night at a special post-convention dinner of the party hosted by President Jonathan. This came as 20 state chairmen of the PDP have endorsed President Jonathan for 2015 elections. The president on his part, assured that the party remains intact in spite of the crisis, saying that what happened was a minor disagreement that can be resolved as those who left will soon rejoin the party.
However, President Jonathan’s assurance of a quick resolution of crisis appeared like a tall dream as the Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led faction of the party, yesterday, constituted its full National Working Committee.
Chairman of PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Tony Anenih, while speaking at the dinner said this was the first time the party was discussing about its future and admonished party faithful to remain united in order to go into election in 2015 as a united body, appealing that “the task ahead is enormous. We must be seen as a team, not as a group”.
He then urged President Jonathan to come out and declare his presidential intentions before the end of September saying, “it is no longer right to say the time is not right. It is good that we tell our people where we are going and how the journey will be like.”
He said the call had become necessary in view of the need for the party apparatus to prepare adequately for the exercise. “We must be ready for the journey. By the end of September we would not be able to tell anybody that the time is not right”, he told the president.
To members of the PDP faction, Chief Anenih told them: “We will not fire any shot but we will win the war. We should not recognise opposition within PDP. We will work together as a team so that by 2015 we will come here again to shake hands. We stand for unity and discipline. Nobody who is indisciplined will be spared. We will do everything to bring everybody together,” he said.
President Jonathan who received high dose of praise from party chieftains in attendance at the dinner said the dinner was a partial fulfilment of the party’s decision to encourage periodic meetings to interact with party members across states and at different cadres for them to bond with each other.
President Jonathan said that despite the major disagreement in the PDP, which has led to the formation of a parallel body, the party remains intact.
Though the post-convention conference recorded an impressive attendance of pro-Jonathan party chieftains including state governors, prominent stakeholders of the party including the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and seven PDP governors who have broken ranks with the party were conspicuously absent.
Our crisis will be resolved — Jonathan
While assuring elected officials of the party of his support, President Jonathan played down the crisis in the party saying: “In any human institutions there must be disagreements. What happened (the factional PDP) is a minor disagreements that can be solved.
“For those who have issues, we thank the elders and governors who have been meeting and listening to them, we are committed to resolving our differences”.
Noting the central place of the party in the heart of Nigerians, President Jonathan said even those who are not members of the party do not want it to disintegrate.
“Even those that are aggrieved call themselves the new PDP, meaning they know without PDP they are nothing. PDP is intact, that we have some disagreements is normal. PDP is intact and will remain intact. We will make sure that the party remains one; those who left will rejoin us. It is only PDP that has not changed name or form. We will do our best to keep PDP one, to keep Nigeria one,” the president promised.
Vice President Namadi Sambo who spoke on the future of the party said PDP has always provided leadership for this country and cannot afford to shirk that responsibility at this critical time.
Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, dismissed insinuations that the crisis in the PDP portend danger for the country. He said that Nigeria had faced major challenges in the past and did not break up and Nigeria will not break up under Jonathan’s watch.
He challenged members of the opposition party as well as Nigerians to put elected officials of the party to task based on their performance and “not on the pages of newspapers”.
He dismissed the crisis in the party as a misunderstanding that will be resolved soon.
“We want to assure you there is no faction in the PDP; what we are seeing today is just a storm in a tea cup. If you want to step out of the party you are free, this is the only party you can leave and return and become a national party chairman.
The Senate President, David Mark, represented by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the Senate is undivided, united and will continue to protect the interest of Nigerians and support this administration.
“Our party seems to be challenged; we appeal that everything should be done to bring everyone back to the umbrella. Together we are united”.
Also the Speaker of the House of Representatives represented by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, said PDP members in the National Assembly will continue to support the party through legislative means.
Professor Jerry Gana described the faction that emerged after the convention as a pre-meditated plan, assuring however that the party remains focused and deep enough to confront it.
He said “while reconciliation is good, wonderful and is even encouraged by the Bible, we should not give room to impressions that certain people are indispensable.”
Speaking on behalf of former governors Boni Haruna of Adamawa, in company of Dipreye Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa), Jim Nwobodo (old Anambra State), Ikedi Ohahim (Imo), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Abdulkadir Kure (Niger), said “we are here to reaffirm our support for the national leadership of our party, the president and our party.
“PDP gave us a platform to serve our nation, therefore we cannot be part of any plan to dismember PDP,” he said.
Governors present were Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Benue (Deputy Governor) Cross River, Delta, Gombe, Katsina, Taraba (Acting Governor), Kebbi, Plateau, Kogi.
Others present were former national party chairmen, former members of the National Assembly and former governors.
State chairmen endorse Jonathan for 2015, back Tukur
Meanwhile, ahead of 2015 general election, Conference of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP State Chairmen from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, yesterday, stormed the Wadata Plaza, National Secretariat of the Party and endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for the election, citing his transformation agenda as reason for the endorsement.
According to the chairmen, members and supporters of the party must remain steadfast as there was no reason or need for them to panic against the backdrop that, “ the transformation programme of the PDP-led administration will surely take us to 2015 and beyond.”
Only 20 state chairmen were at the meeting with the PDP National Chairman as 17 of the state Chairmen boycotted the meeting, even as they admitted that the August 31 crisis, where former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and six governors stormed out of the secretariat to form a parallel executive caused their blood pressure to rise.
Addressing journalists yesterday during the visit on behalf of other chairmen, Chairman, Benue State Chapter, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo said that the chairmen were in total support of PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, just as they passed a vote of confidence on him and the entire National Working Committee, NWC of the party and their commitment to reconciliation, rebuilding and repositioning of the party.
According to him, “as the critical grassroots stakeholders with enormous responsibilities for the mobilization and unity of the party, we are concerned that some party members are expressing personal grievances without due process.”
The National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, while receiving the state chairmen noted that the challenges currently confronting the party were not beyond solution, noting that nobody wants to invest without profit. According to him, “whatever disagreement that may show up in the party, is not beyond resolution.
If we bring a proposal and the majority believes that proposal should be shelved, amended or discarded, so be it.”
Tukur who maintained that the PDP was the only party that could guarantee the unity of the country, said that the party believes in the freedom of expression irrespective of whatever situation it may find itself.”
Baraje PDP faction dares Presidency, names more NWC members
National Chairman of the new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, Abubakar Baraje, yesterday dared the Presidency by naming more national officers despite the threat by the Federal Government to crush any rebellion against the Bamanga Tukur-led faction.
Already, the Tukur group, which is backed by the Presidency, has hailed the sealing off of the newly-acquired National Secretariat of the Baraje faction located on Oji River Street, Maitama District of Abuja.
Beyond the siege being laid to the building by forces loyal to the Presidency, the administration has also mobilised security agents after promoters of the faction, forcing them to go underground in the pursuit of their political agenda to upstage Tukur and possibly halt Jonathan’s re-election bid.
That notwithstanding, the faction, yesterday, released the names of more NWC members, sending more jitters into the camp of opponents in the process.
A statement by the National Secretary of the nPDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, explained that stakeholders of the party across the country at a meeting in Abuja ratified the election of members of its National Working Committee.
The NWC members according to the statement are: Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, (Chairman); Dr Sam Sam Jaja, (Deputy National Chairman); Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, (National Secretary); Maode Umar Hiliya (Deputy National Secretary).
Others are Mr. Timi Frank (National Youth Leader); Binta Koje, (National Woman Leader); Mallam Nasir Issa (National Organising Secretary); Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze (National Publicity Secretary); Wadada (National Financial Secretary) and Mallam Tanko Isiaku Gomna (National Treasurer).
The statement said that the positions of National Auditor and that of National Legal Adviser, which were zoned to the South East and South West respectfully, would be announced soon.
It was learnt that fear had gripped major players in the faction given the resolve by the mainstream PDP to use security agencies to crush them and render the group impotent in the build up to the 2015 election.
Court declines to re-open nPDP office
Meanwhile, a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, declined an oral application made by the Alhaji Kawu Baraje’s faction of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, praying the court to order the reopening of its secretariat in Abuja, which was sealed off by the Police on Saturday.
Trial judge, Justice Ganiyu Safari refused to make a definite pronouncement on the ground that there was no concrete evidence before the court linking the Alhaji Bamagar Tukur-led faction to the action of the police.
The Baraje faction had sued the old PDP led by Tukur, praying the court to restrain Tukur and his co-defendants from parading themselves as PDP National Executive Council, NEC, members.
Counsel to Baraje’s faction, Mr. Robert Emukpaero, during hearing in the matter, accused Tukur and others of using the police to seal off the faction’s secretariat. He asked for the withdrawal of police officers and their Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, stationed at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
Counsel said the defendants had violated the court’s previous order to maintain the status quo, pending the determination of the suit. He urged the court to order the police to remove their APC vehicles from the secretariat and allow his clients access to their offices.
But Tukur’s counsel, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, told the court that there was no evidence linking them to the sealing off of the secretariat.
Oluyede said it was only the police that could explain why the office was sealed off.
The vacation judge, Justice Safari in a short ruling, held that there was no evidence linking the defendants to the closure of the said secretariat.
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