Anenih to Jonathan: Declare your ambition now •Baraje-led PDP elects NWC members •Kaduna PDP divided over Tukur, Baraje CHAIRMAN of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has urged President Gooduck Jonathan to declare his intention on seeking re-election by the end of this month. Jonathan had constantly maintained that he would only make such declaration by next year as he argued that his focus was to concentrate on delivering service. However, Anenih disagreed with the president, noting that it was no longer right to say time was unripe for making open his ambition. He spoke at a post-convention dinner of the party in Abuja, on Sunday night, adding that “it is good that we tell our people where we are going, what our journey will be like.” He described the dinner as the first time the party was discussing about its future, noting that the task ahead for the party was enormous, while members must be seen as a team. “We will not fire any shot but we will win the war. We would not recognise opposition within PDP. We will work together as a team so that by 2015, we will come here again to shake hands. “We stand for unity and discipline. Nobody will be spared if he behaves. We will do everything to bring everybody together,” he said. Also speaking, the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, stressed the importance of party loyalty and discipline. “We must learn to accept change in order to build on democratic principles. Our party cannot be relevant to the people only once in four years, when votes are needed, but at every time, in order to improve their lots. “Dialogue and reconciliation should be encouraged, but our politics should be based on issues rather than personalities,” he said. The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, told President Jonathan that majority of the citizens were happy with his leadership. He described those absent at the dinner as towing the wrong path and urged them to return to the good path. “Those who are likely not here are those on the wrong path. We appeal to them to return back to the right path. Goodluck and (Namadi) dSambo will take us to the promised land. Loyalty and support is not the word of mouth; it is by action. Mr President, 90 per cent of Nigerians are with you,” he said. Professor Jerry Gana described the faction that emerged after the convention as pre-mediated, assuring that the party remained focused. He admitted that the party was going through a difficult times, but noted that it was not a time to show weakness. The former minister warned that the party would not give room to impression that certain people were indispensable, adding that “this party is strong. PDP is a family and in a family there must be trust. “There must be restoration of trust, goodwill, transparency and confidence. We need trust to remain a strong party and by 2015, we shall do it again.” The state party chairmen declared loyalty for the president, the party’s national chairman and the governors elected on its platform. Speaking on behalf of former governors, Boni Haruna of Adamawa State, accompanied by Dipreye Alamieyesigha (Bayelsa), Jim Nwobodo (old Anambra State), Ikedi Ohahim (Imo), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi) and Abdulkadri Kure (Niger) said “we are here to reaffirm our support for the national leadership of our party, the president and our party.” In his speech, President Jonathan described the grievances by some members of the party as minor, assuring that all would be resolved. He noted that the dinner was in partial fulfilment of the decision of the party to encourage periodic meeting to interact with party members across states. He said, “In any human institutions, there must be disagreements. What happened is a minor disagreement that can be solved. “Even those that are aggrieved call themselves the new PDP, meaning they know without PDP, they are nothing. PDP is intact, that we have some disagreements is normal. PDP is intact and will remain intact,” he said. He added that “it is only PDP that has not changed name or form,” adding that “we will do out best to keep PDP one, to keep Nigeria one.” In his remarks, chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio, noted that the country would not break up under President Jonathan. “We want Nigerians to challenge us on performance, not on the pages of newspapers. We wat to assure you that there is no faction in PDP, what we are seeing is just a storm in the tea cup. “The people are not with those who do not respect authority. They will not get authority. Struggling your way through with might and propaganda will not give you the presidency,” he said. Osun PDP suspends Oyinlola’s loyalists The PDP crisis took a new twist in Osun State, on Monday, as the state chapter of the party moved against loyalists of former governor of the state and national secretary of New PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, suspending 19 of them. The development, Nigerian Tribune reliably gathered, was not unconnected with the rally held at Okuku, Oyinlola’s home town, on Sunday, where loyalists of the former governor declared their support for the New PDP. Affected by the suspension order were the former state chairman of the party, Alhaji Ademola Rasaq and 18 others. Similarly, the state working committee also gave three out of its four aspirants 24 hours to dissociate themselves from a statement credited to former state chairman of the party, Alhaji Rasaq, who said three of the four aspirants, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, Honourable Oluwole Oke and Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, were in the new PDP. In a statement issued on Monday night by the state PDP chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, the decision “is coming on the heels of the warning of the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Tukur and the resolution of a general congress of Osun PDP, where it was unanimously agreed that no member of the party in the state should attend any meeting called by the so-called New PDP.” The list of those suspended has names of Alhaji Rasaq, Mr Yinka Adeojo, Mr Soji Adagunodo Oluwatukesi, Alhaji Rasaq Oyetunji, Mr Ibukun Fadipe, Alhaji A. Akomola, Teslim Igbalaiye, Dapo Ayodele and Bowade Oyewale Afolabi. Also suspended were three wards chairmen in Ayedaade Local Government Area, who were advised to hand over to vice chairmen of their respective wards. The statement, however, added that investigations had commenced into the case of Prince Oyinlola, adding that if he was found guilty, he would face the wrath of the party. Olaoluwa also charged the governorship aspirants in the state to preoccupy themselves on how to win the state as any of them found romancing with the so-called New PDP would face strict sanctions. But, a chieftain of the party, who is also a member of the state executive, pleading anonymity, dissociated the leadership of Osun State chapter of the party from the decision to suspend loyalists of Oyinlola, stressing that there was no meeting held by those empowered to take such action on Monday. Another member of state working committee of the party, who did not want his names in print, in a chat with the Nigerian Tribune on Monday night, said “we don’t know anything about the decision to suspend them, because no meeting was held to that effect.” Reacting, Alhaji Akinbade accused Olaoluwa of lacking leadership quality to administer party affairs in the state. Speaking through his media consultant, Kayode Oladeji, Akinbade said elections were not won on the pages of newspapers and advised President Jonathan to be “wary of those politicians from Osun State who comes to Abuja to curry the favour of the presidency in order to receive gratification.” 20 PDP state chairmen endorse Jonathan for 2015 Twenty state chairmen of the party, including that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have endorsed President Jonathan as the candidate of the party for the 2015 election. This came just as the party chairmen, under the aegis of Conference of PDP State Chairmen, passed a vote of confidence on President Jonathan for his good leadership role in the country, despite distractions. They also passed a vote of confidence on Alhaji Tukur and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) for their commitment to reconciliation, rebuilding and repositioning of the party. However,17 state chairmen were absent from the meeting, held at Agura Hotel, Abuja. Addressing newsmen on Monday, chairman of the forum, Dr Emmanuel Agbo, said “we do not believe in any approach that would stampede the smooth running of our great party, especially when external influence is being insinuated.” The chairman said there was no need to panic, adding that the transformation programme of the PDP-led administration would surely take the party to 2015 and beyond. Those who attended the meeting included chairmen of Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Oyo, Cross River, Adamawa, Yobe, Ekiti, Benue, Kogi, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Nasarawa, Ondo, Lagos, Gombe, Ogun, Osun, FCT and Plateau, while the factional chairmen of Adamawa and Rivers were also in attendance. Absent at the meeting were chairmen of the aggrieved state governors, to wit, Kano, Kwara, Sokoto, Niger, Jigawa. Also absent were chairmen of Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Bayelsa, Kebbi, Borno, Bauchi, Delta, and Edo state chapters of the party. Speaking on whether the chairmen from the aggrieved governors’ states supported the position contained in the communique, Agbo said “it is when they say they are not in agreement with us that you will have issues with us.” Speaking with the chairmen who paid him a visit, Alhaji Tukur said the unity of Nigeria was only assured under the PDP-led Federal Government. He tasked the chairmen that as field commanders of the party in their respective states, they should continue to work for the progress, unity and peace of the party and that of the country. Tukur, Baraje tear Kaduna PDP apart There was a crack in Kaduna PDP on Monday, as a faction emerged, declaring its unalloyed support and loyalty to the Kawu Baraje-led New PDP. However, the public relations officer of the state PDP, Ibrahim Mansur, in a statement, said the state PDP was solidly behind Tukur-led NWC, while urging members of the public to disregard the other group. The group supporting Baraje had, in a statement signed by Alhaji Audi Yaro Makama, a former chairman of the party in the state and Gideon Yakubu Morik, said “in the last few weeks, a political Tsunami was unleashed on the nation with the emergence of a new leadership to pilot the affairs of PDP. “The decision of the former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and seven governors elected on the platform of the party is not only worthy of commendation, but also of emulation. Specifically, Governors Babangida Aliyu, (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wammako, (Sokoto), as well as Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) took the necessary step of saving the PDP from the hands of nihilists,” the statement said. According to the statement, the group identified with the new leadership of the party, adding that it followed in the footsteps of sister chapters of Adamawa, Jigawa and Taraba states in setting up the new leadership. In its reaction, the state chapter of the PDP, in a statement signed by Mansur, said “a group of self serving and out of favour politicians masquerading as members of PDP in Kaduna had resorted to seeking cheap relevance by declaring loyalty to the illegal and outlawed faction of the party led by Alhaji Baraje and his co-travellers.” According to the statement,”the group of political opportunists is completely on the derailed path, as the Kaduna State chapter of the PDP remains solidly behind the leadership of our national chairman, Alhaji Tukur.” The state chapter of the party said “there is only one PDP, which is the one led by Tukur,” adding that this much had been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. ‘New PDP’ ratifies election of NWC members Despite the security siege to its national secretariat, the Baraje-led New PDP, on Monday, ratified the election of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party at an undisclosed location in Abuja. This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by its national secretary, Prince Oyinlola and made available to newsmen in Abuja. Oyinlola disclosed that the stakeholders of the party across the country, at a meeting in Abuja, had ratified the election of members of its NWC for effective operations of the party. The NWC members, according to the statement, were Alhaji Baraje,chairman; Dr Sam Sam Jaja, deputy national chairman; Prince Oyinlola, national secretary; Maode Umar Hiliya, deputy national secretary; Mr Timi Frank, national youth leader; Binta Koje, national women leader; Mallam Nasir Issa, national organising secretary; Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, national publicity secretary; Wadada, national financial secretary and Mallam Tanko Isiaku Gomna, national treasurer. The statement added that the positions of national auditor and that of the national legal adviser, which were zoned to the South East and South West respectively, would be announced soon. Last modified on Monday, 09 September 2013 23:45
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 02:41:24 +0000