- Tukur’s removal high on
the agenda as battle could move to National Assembly
With the breakup of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan and the party’s
governors last night met with the New PDP.
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
