"Tukur Must Go..." PDP Governors Insist
•We’re overwhelmed by support –Baraje
From IHEANACHO NWOSU and TAIWO AMODU, AbujaAggrieved
governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who organised a
parallel national convention last Saturday, have given conditions on
which they would back down in their resolve to have a faction in the
party.
This is coming as President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP elders meet the
governors, in Abuja today, to iron out their differences. Seven PDP
governors had, on Saturday, with former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, addressed the press on their formation of a parallel National
Working Committee of the party.
The governors are Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).
Daily Sun gathered that one of the conditions the governors have given is the sack of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of the PDP. The sack of Tukur has been a recurring decimal in the crisis rocking the PDP.
Also, the governors have demanded the removal of Prince Uche Secondus, who was affirmed as deputy national chairman of the party on Saturday.
Secondus, President Jonathan anointed candidate, had emerged for the office following the disqualification of Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, an associate of Governor Amaechi of Rivers State.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the eligibility of Jaja, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, feigned ignorance on the circumstances surrounding the disqualification of Jaja.
He stated: “Because of my campaign, I did not follow other people’s campaign, but I promise to find out in the next 24 hours on what happened to Dr. Jaja.”
Further checks revealed that today’s meeting could end up in a stalemate, because President Jonathan is not likely to accede to the demand that Secondus should vacate the office, as it would undermine his chances of picking the party’s 2015 presidential ticket.
“Asking President Jonathan team to drop Prince Secondus from the new PDP NWC would amount to confronting him to drop his 2015 presidential project,” a party source told Daily Sun.
On today’s meeting, Metuh told journalists yesterday that the highest level consultation on the protest by Atiku and the seven governors was in progress. He expressed hope that the matter would be resolved.
“Consultations is going on at the highest level of this party. The president, national chairman of our party, chairman board of trustee, PDP governors are meeting on this and their discussions so far, have been very encouraging. At the appropriate time, we will communicate to the media the decisions they arrived at.
The meeting is continuing on Tuesday (today), and once the meeting is over, whatever the outcome is, we will communicate immediately to the press and we will inform you the reasons behind the decisions. For now, consultations are going on at the highest level of this country of the party, ” Metuh said.
Meanwhile, other conditions the aggrieved governors have given, it was learnt, is that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should stop harassing them.
Sources revealed that during the meeting, some of the governors specifically stated that the EFCC was being used to witch-hunt them and members of their government, when they have not done anything wrong. One of the governors reportedly accused the Federal Government of using the EFCC to haunt them as well as their aides, as part of the politics of 2015.
Elaborating on why they were angry with the presidency, the governor, who spoke for others at the meeting, alleged that apart from EFCC, the national leadership of the PDP was destroying the political structures of some of them, through the dissolution of validly constituted state executives. They cited Rivers State, as an example, and demanded a stop to it.
In a related development, the PDP faction under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, has said that it was encouraged by the overwhelming support it has been receiving from party members across the country, in its mission to salvage the party.
The national secretary of the new PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who emphasised the resolve of the new leadership to continue with its mission of rescuing the party, added that party members and leaders from all states of the country had continued to reach out to its secretariat in solidarity.
He stated in a statement: “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.”
The governors are Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).
Daily Sun gathered that one of the conditions the governors have given is the sack of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of the PDP. The sack of Tukur has been a recurring decimal in the crisis rocking the PDP.
Also, the governors have demanded the removal of Prince Uche Secondus, who was affirmed as deputy national chairman of the party on Saturday.
Secondus, President Jonathan anointed candidate, had emerged for the office following the disqualification of Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, an associate of Governor Amaechi of Rivers State.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the eligibility of Jaja, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, feigned ignorance on the circumstances surrounding the disqualification of Jaja.
He stated: “Because of my campaign, I did not follow other people’s campaign, but I promise to find out in the next 24 hours on what happened to Dr. Jaja.”
Further checks revealed that today’s meeting could end up in a stalemate, because President Jonathan is not likely to accede to the demand that Secondus should vacate the office, as it would undermine his chances of picking the party’s 2015 presidential ticket.
“Asking President Jonathan team to drop Prince Secondus from the new PDP NWC would amount to confronting him to drop his 2015 presidential project,” a party source told Daily Sun.
On today’s meeting, Metuh told journalists yesterday that the highest level consultation on the protest by Atiku and the seven governors was in progress. He expressed hope that the matter would be resolved.
“Consultations is going on at the highest level of this party. The president, national chairman of our party, chairman board of trustee, PDP governors are meeting on this and their discussions so far, have been very encouraging. At the appropriate time, we will communicate to the media the decisions they arrived at.
The meeting is continuing on Tuesday (today), and once the meeting is over, whatever the outcome is, we will communicate immediately to the press and we will inform you the reasons behind the decisions. For now, consultations are going on at the highest level of this country of the party, ” Metuh said.
Meanwhile, other conditions the aggrieved governors have given, it was learnt, is that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should stop harassing them.
Sources revealed that during the meeting, some of the governors specifically stated that the EFCC was being used to witch-hunt them and members of their government, when they have not done anything wrong. One of the governors reportedly accused the Federal Government of using the EFCC to haunt them as well as their aides, as part of the politics of 2015.
Elaborating on why they were angry with the presidency, the governor, who spoke for others at the meeting, alleged that apart from EFCC, the national leadership of the PDP was destroying the political structures of some of them, through the dissolution of validly constituted state executives. They cited Rivers State, as an example, and demanded a stop to it.
In a related development, the PDP faction under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, has said that it was encouraged by the overwhelming support it has been receiving from party members across the country, in its mission to salvage the party.
The national secretary of the new PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who emphasised the resolve of the new leadership to continue with its mission of rescuing the party, added that party members and leaders from all states of the country had continued to reach out to its secretariat in solidarity.
He stated in a statement: “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.”
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