President Goodluck Jonathan may have
directed the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr.
Bamanga Tukur, and other members of the PDP National Working
Committee to resign.
It was learnt on Monday that Jonathan
gave the directive after the presidential committee on the PDP crises
headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Pius
Anyim, submitted its report to him in Abuja .
The order and submission of the report
which noted that the party was drifting coincided with the lifting of
the suspension of Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, by the
12-member Tukur-led NWC.
A member of the presidential
committee, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of
anonymity, added that Tukur and the other NWC members would tender
their resignation letters at the party’s National Executive Committee
meeting scheduled for Thursday in Abuja.
He said apart from the PDP internal
crises, the President was concerned about the position of the
Independent National Electoral Commission on the manner majority of
the NWC members came to office.
INEC had queried the affirmation method that returned most of the NWC members to office.
It was also gathered that the NWC members were told that they risked being sacked if they failed to quit before Thursday.
A PDP source said, “If they fail to
resign before Thursday, they will be sacked.” He added that the
Presidency had already directed that a caretaker committee be set up in
place of the NWC.
When contacted, a member of the NWC, who wondered how Jonathan’s directive was leaked, merely said it was true.
“How did the story leak? Yes, it is true. I am already packing my things from my office, “ he said.
But another NWC member, who also
admitted that they would cease to hold office before Friday, said,
“We are not resigning because President Jonathan asked us to do so. If
we resign, it will be because of the report by INEC. We will be
resigning to protect the integrity of INEC.”
A national leader of the PDP confirmed
the looming dissolution of the NWC, saying, “You remember INEC had
said that it does not recognise the election of a majority of them (NWC
members).
“The fear is that one of those on the
NWC could go to court and aver that the election that produced him or
her was illegal. Anybody could go to court on that score too. The party
may have problem at that point.”
A member of the presidential committee
which has governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Goodwill Akpabio, (Akwa
Ibom); Theodore Orji (Abia ); Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); Ibrahim Shema
(Katsina); and Gabriel Suswam (Benue), as some of its members, had
said the panel was not pleased with happenings in the PDP.
He said, “Our report, which might not
please the President and the leadership of the party, is that the
party is drifting. We have told him not to allow the party disintegrate
further because whether we like it or not, the party is drifting
dangerously and we have to arrest that.
“We have put in the report that some actions of the National Working Committee are repressive and unnecessary.
“We wondered why the party refused to
hold its NEC for about a year, which to us amounts to breaching of the
party’s constitution.”
The party’s constitution stipulates that NEC must hold at least once in a quarter.
The panel, which also has the Chief of
Staff to the President, Mike Ogiadhome; and the Political Adviser to the
President, Ahmed Gulak, as members therefore recommended the immediate
holding of the NEC meeting, which has not taken place since July 2012.
The Board of Trustees of the party is expected to meet in Abuja on Wednesday.
Our correspondents gathered on Monday
that pressure from PDP governors made Tukur and his team to lift
the suspension on Wamakko at a press conference jointly addressed by
himself, Akpabio and four other governors–Uduaghan, Orji, Yuguda and
Shema. Anyim and Gulak were also present at the briefing.
Investigations by our correspondents
showed that the governors had indicated their readiness to fight Tukur
because Wamakko’s suspension was based on a “trivial” issue.
The NWC of the PDP had while announcing
the suspension of Wamakko, said it took the decision because of alleged
insubordination to Tukur and his office.
The NWC had earlier suspended the
Governor of Rivers State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr.
Rotimi Amaechi, for refusing to reinstate a suspended Local Government
chairman and councillors in the state.
But the PDP governors whose chairman is
Akpabio, were said to have expressed anger over the gale of
suspensions in the party, particularly that of Wamakko.
Wamakko, while describing his suspension as null and void, had called for the sack of Tukur and Gulak.
He had accused Tukur of running the party as his personal estate.
The governors’ anger was said to have made Jonathan to set up the Anyim-led committee to look at the crises in the party.
While announcing the lifting of the
suspension on Wamakko, Tukur said, “Now this issue will never come
again. It is a great party, we believe in our nation. We need a party as
a platform to stand on, but based on unity, discipline and commitment.
“We are also going to have NEC
meeting. We have the support to rescind the suspension, which is a very
important thing. We rescind the suspension of our governor of Sokoto.
“With that, we are ready for further
business because NEC meeting is the requirement of our own party,
always to get in touch with the people to tell them of our programmes,
like the state- of -the nation and state of the party.
“So we are going to have our NEC meeting on Thursday, June 20 by 12pm.
“NWC has rescinded the suspension of the
Sokoto state governor on the appeal of the PDP Governors’ Forum and
secondly the National Chairman is inviting the PDP statutory members to
the meeting of NEC.”
Also speaking at the briefing , Akpabio
said that the presidential committee appealed to the NWC to lift the
suspension of Wamakko.
Akpabio added, “I want to thank the
national chairman of our party and other members of the working
committee for granting us the privilege of this meeting today (Monday).
“We came as a select committee of the
PDP to discuss the state of affairs of our great party, particularly the
relationship between the working committee and the PDP governors and I
want to say that we make a very strong appeal to the working committee
on behalf of our colleague, Governor Wamakko.”
On why Amaechi’s suspension was not lifted, Akpabio said it was because of a case he (Amaechi) instituted against the party.
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Coming at the right time ! GEJ should take his place as the leader of the party and puy things right.
ReplyDeleteIt the do or die attitude of GEJ towards reelection that is the immediate threat to the party. Let PDP disintegrate!
ReplyDeleteThe in-fights show that the PDP should dis-band. God is answering our prayer for Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteWith the events happening all around us,I think I am beginning to see a second term for GEJ,He may not appear as bold confident and ? Smart ,but believe me things ,are working in his Favour..The issue of Boko Haram,is a big problem for the North.I think the north knows this and so will likely precipitate crisis in PDP.
ReplyDeleteAPC will die of suffocation and self inflicted injuries of Ego.
If Gen Buhari rtd ,is given the mandate he will loose because of his support for Boko Haram.
GEJ will still get sympathy votes all over the south.
even if Rotimi Amaechi is made the VP,it doesn't help APC.What is the use of spare tyre when the main tFashola is made presidential candidate?
But a tall dream,sacking of Tukur is a decision in the right direction by GEJ,remember Tukur might have been planted as fifth columnist,to dismember PDP
one tree can't make a forest,Akpabio have just realized dt now, U guys shld restore Gov.Amechi back n stop d excesses of Minister of State for Education against governence in River State.
ReplyDeleteYou are right
ReplyDeleteTukur is long over due!
ReplyDeletePDP is dead
ReplyDelete