- Anyim, Oghiadomhe, six governors meet today to chart path for peace
- Tukur, NWC members may be forced out
Worried by the myriad of crises bedevilling the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan has set up a
high-powered committee to work out ways of resolving the wrangling among
the party bigwigs.
The crises reached a head recently with the suspension of two governors
— Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State —
by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for alleged
anti-party activities.
Peeved by the crises, which show no sign of abating, Jonathan had last
Saturday set up the committee, headed by the Secretary to the Government
of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; and whose membership
comprises the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe;
and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, to broker a truce.
Other members of the peace committee include Benue State Governor, Mr.
Gabriel Suswam; his Katsina and Delta States counterparts, Alhaji
Ibrahim Shema and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; as well as two other governors
and the Political Adviser to the President, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, to meet
and advise the party on the best way to handle the crises.
The committee will begin its work in earnest Thursday as Anyim,
Oghiadomhe, Gulak and the six governors will be meeting to discuss the
crises rocking the party.
Thursday’s meeting will also focus on the suspension of Amaechi and
Wamakko, an incident that sources said was discomforting to the
presidency.
It was learnt that the president was worried that the governors’
suspension, if not well handled, could create disaffection among
governors, especially at a time that the president needs their support
to prosecute his yet-to-be declared 2015 presidential ambition.
A source confided in THISDAY that the president was worried of the
backlash that the suspension of the two governors could cost him because
of the enormous influence the PDP governors wield in the party as they
control delegates that would decide who emerges the party’s presidential
candidate at the PDP national convention.
Jonathan, the source said, was greatly worried that “too many mistakes,
which he considered costly and inimical to his second term ambition,
are being made by the NWC of the party, headed by the party’s National
Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur”.
According to the source, “The worry of the president is that he has
allowed the Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the
PDP to ‘ride roughshod’ and also misadvised the president on pertinent
decisions concerning the party.”
THISDAY gathered that the decision to suspend Amaechi and Wamakko for
anti-party activities has obviously backfired as the party has come
under heavy criticisms for the action, which has caused a sharp division
among party members.
For example, the Sokoto State chapter of the PDP has rejected Wamakko’s
suspension, while some other party bigwigs have expressed concern about
the crises, which Tukur is causing the party by his handling of
differences among members.
With this, it was learnt that Jonathan had directed the Anyim committee
to meet as quickly as possible to ensure a quick restoration of peace
in the party.
THISDAY checks revealed that the Anyim committee may recommend a larger
meeting of the PDP governors and the leadership of the National
Assembly that are members of the PDP to brainstorm on the best way of
handling the situation.
The enlarged meeting of the PDP governors and the National Assembly is
seen as a shortcut to a meeting of the National Executive Committee
(NEC) of the PDP, which has not been held since 2012 because the NWC has
refused to call a meeting to discuss the crises within the party.
The source explained that one of the decisions likely to be taken at
the enlarged meeting of the peace committee with principal officers of
the National Assembly would be a recommendation that the NWC should
summon an emergency NEC meeting to discuss the state of PDP.
This, he said, “was because the last NEC meeting of the party took
place July 18, 2012; whereas, the NEC meeting is expected to hold once
every quarter of the year.”
It was gathered that the suspension of Amaechi and Wamakko by the PDP
NWC did not receive the blessing of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT),
especially the chairman of the board, Chief Tony Anenih, as it is
against the ongoing reconciliation in the party.
The Anyim committee would also consider a report by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), which rejected the election of
some members of the NWC, including Tukur’s deputy, Dr. Sam Jaja Sam, and
PDP National Women Leader, Dr. Kema Chikwe.
Of the 16 members of the NWC, the INEC report said only four, including
Tukur and the suspended National Secretary of the party, Olagunsoye
Oyinlola, were validly elected.
Though, the matter is already in court, it was gathered that the
presidential committee may recommend a ‘political solution’ by either
demanding the resignation of Tukur to pave the way for the convocation
of an emergency national convention of the party to elect NWC members or
sack the party leadership.
The INEC report had said the March 24, 2012 national convention of the PDP was not acceptable to it.
The source said: “By political solution, we may recommend that the NWC
members tender their resignation letters or be forced to resign by an
emergency meeting of the NEC.”
As at press time, all the governors concerned are already in town for the meeting.
Source: ThisDay
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