Sunday 27 October 2013

PDP crisis: Atiku, G7 Govs, Baraje dare Tukur, hold caucus meeting

THE Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led group of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has shunned the
warning by the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur, that it should cease to hold
meetings, after it concluded arrangements to
hold a national caucus meeting with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the G7 Governors to
attend. The G7 Governors are Sule Lamido of Jigawa State;
Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of
Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto;
Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; Murtala Nyako of
Adamawa and Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that also to attend the meeting are former governors in the group;
senators, members of the House of
Representatives and states Houses of Assembly
and members of the faction’s National Working
Committee, NWC, among others. The meeting, it was learnt, will have in attendance
all the seven governors opposed to the PDP
leadership at Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge,
Asokoro, Abuja, just as challenges confronting the
PDP and how to receive more governors who plan
to join the group, among others, top the agenda of the meeting. A source said, “Note that the caucus meeting of
our party comprising our governors, senators,
former governors, stakeholders, few of our NWC
members comes up on Sunday 8pm at Sokoto
Lodge to discuss the challenges of the Baraje-led
PDP, strategise on how to receive more governors and map out how to move the party forward.”
The national leadership of the PDP, had, on Friday,
warned the Baraje-led `New PDP’ to stop making
utterances, issuing press statements or hold
meetings or be treated as impostors and
criminals.



In a statement by the PDP National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the ruling party had
noted that following the judgment of the Federal
High which upheld the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led
National Working Committee as the authentic
one, the Tukur-led PDP remains the only recognised PDP.
It warned that the Baraje-led, `New PDP’ must not
rear its head again or do so and be crushed. Metuh said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the
ruling of the court in this regard is absolutely
clear, direct and unambiguous. The PDP has only
one duly elected National Executive Committee
under the National Chairmanship of Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur. ”We wish therefore to state with all emphasis that
any group of persons parading themselves as
leaders of this organ of our party are impostors
and must be treated as criminals by all and
sundry. ”Henceforth, the leadership of the PDP will no
longer tolerate or condone any meeting,
utterances, press statements and/or activities
whatsoever under the name, flag and colour of
the PDP by any unauthorized person or group(s)
under any guise. ”As a law abiding party, the PDP remained calm in
the face of the unwarranted attacks of the last few
months. Our leaders chose the path of caution
and decorum but our reconciliatory moves and
offer of olive branch were treated with the highest
disdain and viewed as signs of weakness. ”The National Working Committee has therefore
directed that the name, colour, flag and the
provisions of constitution of our party must be
held sacrosanct by our members. The PDP has adequate internal mechanism for
resolution of disagreements and members are
advised to express their grievances through such. ”We thank all members who kept faith and
remained loyal to the constitution of the party
through this trying time. Our party remains one
big family and the preeminent party,
commanding true and genuine followership
among Nigerians across the country. ”The challenges of the last few months instead of
detracting us have indeed better positioned our
party to continue to win elections at all levels in
our country.” In a related development, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu
Baraje has said that more than five governors will
soon join his group in the struggle against the
Tukur leadership even as he said that the
lingering crisis in the PDP will end when
arbitrariness and impunity in the party are stopped. Baraje said this, yesterday, in Ilorin, Kwara State
capital, after his accreditation at Magaji Ngeri
Baboko Central Ward in the local government
elections that took place in the state .He said that
end to the protracted crisis in the PDP will be
decided by the powers-that-be when impunity, lawlessness, arbitrariness and the like are
stopped. ”The end to the crisis will be decided by the
powers-that-be when there is no more impunity,
lawlessness and arbitrariness”, he said. Baraje disclosed that more than five governors
will soon join them in this struggle adding that
the crisis in the party should be a concern to
anyone who means well for Nigeria. On their rumoured plan to join All Progressive
Congress, APC, he said Nigerians should wait for
that time, stressing that he could not say anything
on that now. He also reiterated that the local government
election was long approved and even screened by
the national headquarters of the PDP before the
current crisis started.

No comments:

Post a Comment