PDP: THE WAR within

In the next couple of weeks, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will suspend another set of its members, who are seen to have constituted themselves as internal opposition.

This is coming barely two weeks after the party suspended Rivers State Governor, Hon. Chubuike Amaechi and his Sokoto State counterpart, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, for alleged indiscipline and disrespect to the PDP leadership.

Saturday Sun gathered that among those who have been pencilled down for suspension are seven governors from the North and one from the South South. Also, in the list is Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

The suspension option, it was gathered, is the outcome of a recent meeting in the Asokoro residence of an influential leader of the party and, according to a source in the PDP, meant “to cleanse the party of internal rebellion before the critical stages of preparations for the 2015 election which the party is desperate to win.”

A very reliable source within the PDP leadership told Saturday Sun: “The move, which comes under the agenda of enforcing discipline within the party, is in actual sense a back up plan should the present scheme to get the party’s automatic ticket for President Jonathan, without going through any primaries, fails to fly.

“If the automatic ticket thing will not sail through, the leadership believes this is the right time to weed the party of all non-conformists and friends of opposition parties in our fold to save the party and indeed, the president of an embarrassing situation during the party’s convention. The party wants to avoid what happened at the Governors Forum election.”

Competent sources revealed that those listed for suspension with Tambuwal are Adamawa State Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Governor Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Governor Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Governor Saidu Usman Dakingari  (Kebbi).

It was gathered that Governors Wamakko, Aliyu, Lamido, Dakingari and Kwankwaso are being targeted for their opposition to the Jonathan 2015 ambition.

Governor Nyako, it was gathered, is being targeted because of the running battle he has had with the party’s national chairman for some time now, while the sins of Uduaghan and Ahmed are their alleged role in the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) chairmanship election won by Amaechi.

It was gathered that despite the fact that Uduaghan and Ahmed signed the resolution affirming Plateau State governor, Chief Jonah Jang, as chairman of the NGF, the party is still looking at them with suspicion. Also the two governors are being hunted for their cozy relationship with their predecessors, Chief James Ibori and Senator Bukola Saraki respectively, whose loyalty to the Jonathan presidency is seriously in doubt.

Tambuwal, on his part, is being hunted for his cozy relationship with leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC) and his rumoured ambition to vie for the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the opposition party.

Saturday Sun gathered that as prelude to Tambuwal’s suspension, the Sokoto State PDP exco would be dissolved. In the plot, the state’s PDP chairman and secretary would be sacked by the NWC and another executive amenable to the plan to suspend Tambuwal would be constituted. This was the same approach used in Rivers State, where the G.U Ake party executive loyal to Governor Amaechi was removed and the Felix Obuah group opposed to the governor installed. It was the Obuah-led executive that provided the petition, which the party’s NWC acted upon to suspend Amaechi from the party.

Though Tambuwal’s media aide, Imam Imam failed to respond to an enquiry sent to him on the evolving scenario, a member of the House of Representatives, who is also a member of the Speaker’s kitchen cabinet, however, confirmed that the number four citizen is aware of the plot against him.

“The Hon. Speaker is very much aware of what is going on, but he is not moved. As we speak, they plan to suspend the PDP chairman and secretary in Sokoto State. That is to set the stage for their plan against the Speaker as they have done to the governor,” the lawmaker disclosed.

When Saturday Sun contacted PDP national publicity secretary on Wednesday, he had denied plan to suspend the Speaker or any of its governors. He, however, put a lie to his claim a few hours later by announcing the suspension of Governor Wamakko from the party by the NWC.

He had stated: “We have no report or petition against Honourable Tambuwal or any of our governors. The Speaker is doing an excellent job at the House of Representatives. The party is happy with him and he has complete loyalty of his people.”

Asked if the party was disturbed over Tambuwal’s romance with leaders of the opposition parties, Metuh dismissed it as a non issue, as he further submitted: “He is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, not the PDP. He is a national leader.”

In a volte-face, Metuh announced the party’s somersault on the suspension plan, which he had earlier denied. According to him: “The National Working Committee (NWC), at its 338th meeting held on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, extensively discussed the state of the party across the nation and its members as well as the repeated breaches and disregard to the party’s Constitution by his Excellency, Dr. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, the executive governor of Sokoto State.

“The NWC notes that on several occasions, Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko had ignored invitations and lawful directives of the NWC in this regard and has continued to show complete apathy to the affairs of the party and contempt to an organ of the Party.

“Consequent upon the refusal of the governor to honour yet another invitation by the NWC to appear before it today, Wednesday, June 5, 2013 without any reason, the committee, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 57 (3), 57 (7), 58. 1(c), (h), (f) and 59 (1), (2), hereby suspends the executive governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, as a member of the party and refers the matter to the appropriate disciplinary committee of the party.

“This is in furtherance of the determination of the leadership of the party to enforce discipline at all levels within the party.”

Indication that some members of the PDP would be axed came when, recently, Alhaji Tukur vowed that the party would instill discipline among its members, to check the increasing anti-party activities and sabotage of its aspiration to retain the presidency in 2015.

While speaking at an event in Abuja, to mark Democracy Day, Tukur declared:  “People Say we have crises in our party. It may appear so, but that also shows that democracy is at play in the way we conduct our affairs. We are a family and like any family, we can disagree and then we will agree. We have mastered the game and that is the reason we have been keeping afloat.

“However, we are talking about discipline here. During the PDP family dinner, I emphasised on the necessity of party discipline, in line with the vision of our founding fathers. We have our constitution to guide us in maintaining discipline. Our past failures to uphold discipline, with sense of seriousness, have been the reason some members act in very questionable manners.

“Today, everybody is talking about 2015, with expectations that we must win fairly and transparently. How can we achieve that if certain members of the party go against the rules with impunity, while nothing happens? We have had enough of inconsistencies and loose conducts, and today we say that must stop.”

The source also stated that the party’s decision to axe some of its leaders, at both the federal and state levels, is “to ensure that we don’t have enemies within who will be attending strategic meetings with us and leaking all our plans to the opposition party which is daily becoming a stubborn threat.

“The decision may appear controversial, but we either do it at a go or one after the other so that we don’t approach the 2015 elections with those who have only their bodies with us but their souls elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, leaders of the two major groups in the North; Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF and Northern Elders Forum, NEF have described the move by the PDP leadership as an act of desperation to secure a second term ticket for President Goodluck Jonathan.

In his reaction to the development, National Vice Chairman of ACF, Senator JKN Waku said “the PDP under the present administration does not have the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians at heart, it is only interested in the ambition of one man. It doesn’t care whether there is peace and unity in the country. That is the only explanation for doing what they are doing at the moment.

“The great thing is this is democracy, the public officers being targeted for persecution through suspension from a disintegrating party have the liberty to challenge the illegality in court, more that the so called suspension does not deny them of their right to remain in their respective offices.”

Speaking on the same issue, one of the leaders of NEF, Abubakar Tsav said “the suspension of two PDP governors and intended suspension of many more in the future is seen as a sign of desperation and politics of intolerance by the PDP leadership and the presidency. The president wants a second tenure at all costs and is ready to deal with anyone who challenges his desire for a second tenure. Those pencilled for suspension are those perceived to be against the president. The PDP lacks internal democracy.”

source: sun