Written by Taiwo Adisa, Jacob Segun Olatunji, Olawale Rasheed, Kolawole Daniel and Adelowo Oladipo
FIFTY-SEVEN members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, declared support for the New PDP led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, a former national chairman of the party.
The lawmakers, in a statement issued in Abuja, on Tuesday night, however, tasked the security agencies and other anti-graft bodies to be professional in their activities and not allow themselves to be used by anybody for political ambition, no matter how highly placed.
It will be recalled that some members of the party, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, seven governors, three former governors and federal legislators, had walked out of the mini convention held on Saturday and proceeded to address a press conference where they announced the sack of the party's national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the replacement of his National Working Committee (NWC) with a new one headed by Alhaji Baraje.
"We, members of the House of Representatives on the platform of the New PDP, hereby congratulate our leaders on the emergence of the new party
"Although a sizeable number of our members who could not append their signatures because of their unavailability in the country will do so immediately on arrival, we, the undersigned, salute and appreciate the courage, sacrifice, resilience and patriotism of our leaders, viz, former Vice President Abubakar, Governors Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), and other well-meaning and eminent Nigerians for leading the way for the emergence of the New PDP.
"We are also using this opportunity to condemn in strong terms, attempts by some agents of the Federal Government to use state apparatus to witch-hunt some of these patriots for taking this bold and courageous step.
"As members of the House of Representatives, we call on the security agencies and other anti-graft bodies to be professional in their activities and not allow themselves to be used by anybody, no matter how highly placed, for their political ambitions.
"We won't hesitate, however, to use all instruments of law within our powers, as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), to stop this and bring anybody found wanting to book.
"We wish to state that by this statement, we pledge our loyalty and support to the New PDP under the able chairmanship of Alhaji Baraje; the deputy chairman, Dr Sam Sam Jaja; national secretary, Prince Oyinola and other members of the National Executive Committee.
"We congratulate them and wish them the very best as they steer the affairs of our party to provide level playing-field for all Nigerians," the statement concluded.
Those who signed the statement included Honourables Abdullahi Balarabe, Abdulmumin Jibrin, Ali Ahmad, Abdullahi Muhammad Wammako, Abdullahi Muhammed Rico, Abdulmalik Usman Cheche, Adamu Bashir, Ahman-Patigi Aliyu, Ahmed Zerewa, Aishatu Ahmed Binani, Aiyedun Akeem Olayinka, Alhassan Ado Garba, Aliyu Madaki, Aliyu Shehu and Aminu Shagari.
Others were Aminu Sulyman, Aminu Tukur, Andrew Uchendu, Asita Honourable, Bashir Bballe, Blessing Nsiegbe, Dakuku Peterside, Dawari George, Faruq Muhammed Lawan, Gibson Nathaniel, Gogo Bright Tamunu, Haliru Zakari Jikantoro, Hassan Adamu, Hussain Namadi, Ibrahim Ebbo, Ibrahim Tijjani Kivawa and Issa Bashir.
Also on the list were Kabiru Achida, Khabeeb Mustapha, Maurice Pronen, Mohammed Sabo, Mpigi Barinada, Muhammad Ahmed Mukhtar, Muhammad Ibrahim, Muhammad Sani Kutigi, Mukhtari Muhammad, Musa Ado, Musa Sarkin-Adar, Mustapha Bala Dawaki, Mustapha Mashood, Ogbonna Nwuke, Rafiu Ibrahim, Sa'ad Nabunkari, Sani Muhammed Aliyu, Shuaibu Gobir, Sokonte Davies, Sufiyanu Ubale, Umar Bature, Usman Wada, Yusuph Dunari Sule, Yusuph Galambi and Zakari Muhammed.
OBJ's role in crisis raises dust
A dramatic twist occurred in the unfolding crisis rocking PDP, as some stakeholders in the party are raising dust over what they believed was the role of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in the factionalisation of the party, ahead 2015 election.
Sources told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, on Tuesday, that there were more to Saturday's factionalisation of the party, adding that loyalists of the former president were recently seen lobbying Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime, to join the G7 group of aggrieved governors.
It was gathered that Obasanjo's alleged involvement had been traced to a plot to "shake the party" and ensure President Goodluck Jonathan did not contest the 2015 election.
Sources said Obasanjo's alleged role in the whole drama was raising dust, though he called a meeting of the elders's committee for Friday.
"Why is it that almost all Obasanjo's known loyalists like Abdullahi Adamu, Sule Lamido, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Aliyu Wammako and Murtala Nyako are in this plot?" the source asked.
In his reaction, Obasanjo's spokesman, Vitalis Ortese, said "you said you have a story... my question is... where is the story from and by whom?"
Jonathan must stop EFCC probe, G7 govs insist
It also emerged on Tuesday that the real reasons the G7 groups of aggrieved PDP governors sought a postponement of the peace parley scheduled for Abuja was as a result of their anger that President Jonathan had rejected the request that he stop forthwith, further probe of the state governors by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Sources in the party confirmed that the aggrieved governors, many of who attended the Sunday night meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had expressed disappointment with the way President Jonathan waved aside the request.
Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues at the Sunday meeting, said the son of Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, was being harassed by EFCC and that a number of state governors were under EFCC probe and asked the president to intervene.
His Kwara State counterpart, Abdufattah Ahmed, also complained that himself and his predecessor had been victims of EFCC probe for years.
But it was gathered that the president's refusal to give a commitment on the EFCC angle irked the governors, who later got back to the leadership of the party that they needed further consultations before they could attend the peace parley.
Why peace talks were postponed -Anenih
Meanwhile, the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, has given reasons why the meeting could not hold on Tuesday.
Anenih, in a statement in Abuja, on Tuesday, said the governors called for further consultations on the issues they had with the party.
Anenih, in a statement entitled "PDP Crisis: Why peace talks were postponed," said the party would emerge stronger from the ongoing crisis.
Anenih said that the peace talks, scheduled to continue in Abuja, on Tuesday, was postponed at the request of the aggrieved governors, whose group announced the formation of a New PDP on Saturday.
He stated that the peace talks would continue on Tuesday, next week, after some selected party leaders would have met with former president, Chief Obasanjo, on Friday.
According to him, the aggrieved governors told the presidency and the PDP leaders that they needed more time to make wider consultations on the issues.
He also disclosed that the presidency and the PDP were not averse to wide consultations on the issues at stake.
The BoT chairman said the presidency and PDP leaders would take advantage of the postponement to also consult widely on how to amicably resolve the crisis.
"Part of the wider consultations is the meeting of selected party leaders with Chief Obasanjo on Friday morning and, thereafter, we will meet with the governors on Tuesday, next week," he said.
Anenih had presented the communiqué of the first peace parley held at the Presidential Villa, which started from Sunday night and lasted till early hours of Monday.
Another group demands de-registration of party, wants Tukur out
The crisis rocking PDP, on Tuesday, took a new dimension, as a group in the party, under the umbrella of "PDP Stakeholders Forum," dragged the party, its national chairman, Tukur, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its NWC before an Abuja Federal High Court, seeking the removal of Tukur from office, as well as the de-registration of the party by INEC.
This is coming just as the peace talks with the New PDP governors, initiated by President Jonathan collapsed, as the chieftains of the New PDP were said to have vowed never to back down until certain conditions were met.
Addressing news men in Abuja, on Tuesday, chairman of the PDP Stakeholders' Forum, Mr Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, said the group resolved to approach the court to seek redress, in order to save the party from total collapse.
According to him, "the PDP Stakeholders' Forum had watched and, on several occasions, raised the alarm on the speedy descent of our great party towards implosion, occasioned by mind-boggling lawlessness and total disrespect for tenets that foster democracy.
"The rules of engagement have been ganged, the structures of internal democracy set up over the years have gradually but ruthlessly been dismantled, due process has become an alien philosophy, as our party is currently being run like a military garrison, while impunity and political rascality have taken centre stage.
"Our great party has gradually evolved into a shackled 'social club', where the majority may always have their say, but a negligible minority always have their ways."
He said the group also approached the court to seek the immediate revocation of the party's national convention held last Saturday, as it was not conducted in line with the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
Also, it sought the removal of Alhaji Tukur as the national chairman of the party, having been expelled from the party since March 2001 along with others by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party and had since failed to regularise his party membership, only for him to later become the national chairman of the party.
According to him, "Tukur did not apply for, nor obtain the requisite waiver by the NEC of the party before offering himself for election into the office of the national chairman of PDP in 2012," adding that since Tukur had not been properly re-absorbed into the party, all action he had taken, including presiding over the last weekend's special national convention "is null and void."
The group added that "the legal effect of the foregoing is that with an utterly flawed and incurably defective membership, the nomination, subsequent election and continued stay in office of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the chairman of the PDP is fraudulent, illegal and unconstitutional."
The forum leader further said the group would push for the immediate de-registration of the party by INEC, for conducting the last convention with a forged constitution.
According to him, "PDP leaders doctored the 2012 amended constitution of the party, in breach of the provisions of the Electoral Act.
"The proof of these evidences can be seen in the approved memo by the PDP NEC, upon which the amendment was done in 2012. The original version of the PDP constitution filed with INEC will, as well, prove these violations.
"By the provisions of Section 78(7)1 of the Electoral Act, INEC was empowered to de-register any political party which breaches any of the requirements for registration as a political party.
"The penalty for violation of the provisions of the constitutional requirements for a political party existence is de-registration.
"So, we will ask the court to nullify the convention, as it was held with a fake document and, as well, de-register the party for violating the law."
Jonathan must not succumb to blackmail -Group
The Media Network for Transformation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has asked Presient Jonathan not to succumb to blackmail of some key stakeholders in PDP, whom it accused of planning to stop his second term ambition.
The group, in a statement by its coordinator, Mr Goodluck Ebelo, said the move by former Vice President Abubakar and six governors during the party's special national convention at the Eagle Square, on Saturday, was part of the ploy to stop Jonathan's yet to be declared 2015 ambition.
"While we appreciate the right of any person, including these feuding politicians, to aspire to any political office in the land, we denounce this glaring conspiracy to make President Jonathan a hostage of their individual ambitions.
We wish to state that the premeditated walk-out at the Eagle Square, last Saturday and the demands of these politicians smack of blackmail.
"We, therefore, call on the president to be resolute and resist this weather beaten gambit, a treachery and mischief, designed to cow him. He should have zero-tolerance to political hostage taking.
"It is not news that the key persona in the last Saturday's display of shame are a group of politicians with smouldering ambition to be president in 2015. Of itself, a legitimate aspiration, but to demand that the president should deny himself what the constitution affords him is intolerable hubris.
"We, therefore, call on the president and all leaders of PDP, loyal and faithful to the party, to immediately discontinue the ongoing negotiations with these men with self serving, ill-disguised ambitions. What becomes of any ambition, including the president's, is in the hands of Nigerians, not a motley crowd of turn coats.
"While we welcome the wish of the feuding politicians to remain in PDP, we make bold to say that intimidation, treachery and blackmail would not derail the genuine intentions of the president," the statement read.
The group said Atiku had once left PDP and his absence was not felt, adding that President Jonathan must call the bluff of those wishing to hurry him out of the 2015 race.
"It is common knowledge that a leader of this group once left the party and, at the end, neither the PDP nor its presidential candidate, (the late Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua), who defeated him in the 2007 presidential election, felt any pinch from his absence.
"We are of the opinion that the performance of the Jonathan-led administration in the first four years would give the opportunity to the Nigerian people to decide whether or not to give him a second term in office.
"It does not lie in the mouth champions of sectionalism to hijack that decision from Nigerians," the group added.
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