Things appear to be falling apart in the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP). The two factions led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and
Alhaji Kawu Baraje have not achieved a truce.
Unless the grievances of those who stormed out of the Abuja
convention are addressed, the centre may not hold again. To curtail the
ugly trend, it appears the party’s leadership is making frantic steps to
prevent further damage. But there is no positive result yet. There are
some options that can be explored.
The first option is to dare the
faction and expel the aggrived members for anti-party activities.
Tukur’s faction is recognised by the electoral commission. It is not
likely that INEC will recognise Baraje’s faction. But this option is
dangerous. It means that the PDP will face the 2015 general elections as
a party at half. Its influence in some sates controlled by the faction
may drop.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had proposed a
reconciliation meeting between the PDP National Working Committee (NWC)
and the aggrieved faction. He said the elders will broker peace.
Although the former President has not left the party, he is also an
aggrieved party elder, whose supporters have been sidelined in the
running of the party by Tukur.
The former Board of Trustees (BoT)
chairman is not happy with the removal of his key supporters from the
National Executive Committee (NEC). Although he was said to have held a
closed door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday in Aso
Rock, details were unknown. Observers contend that the PDP boxed itself
into this logjam because it deviated from the vision of the founding
fathers.
Many PDP elders have been sidelined, especially in the
states, by the governors, who are the state leaders. In the past, party
elders, including former Vice President Alex Ekweme and Gen. Ike
Nwachukwu, headed the reconciliation panels set up by the party. The
reports of the panels were never implemented. If another reconciliation
committee headed by another party elder is set up, what is the assurance
that the report will be implemented?
Party sources said that the
road to peace may not be in sight for now. The utterances by the
Presidency have been couched in belligerent tones, which suggest that
those who have formed the faction would likely face sanction.
Presidential Adviser on Political Matter, Ahmed Gulak, described the
formation of new PDP as the height of irresponsibility.
He said,
if the intension of the seven governors was to cause crisis in the party
before dumping it, they would not succeed. He said: “As far as we are
concerned, there is one PDP; we remain a united family. But, if your son
or daughter decided to be a prodigal son or daughter, so be it. But we
plead with them to be reasonable; to be law abiding and to know that
nobody is above the law.”
The other option is to reinvigorate the
crisis-resolution mechanism in the party. Already, the Reconciliation
Committee headed by Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson now has a
bigger assignment. The staring point is to collate the grievances of the
faction and make recommendations that would foster a win-win situation.
The PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa
Ibom State has reiterated the need for peace and dialogue. He said the
only way the PDP can remain relevant is to unite.
But there must
be conditions for unity. S He said: “Some of my colleagues and I have
resolved to ensure reconciliation with all those that have grievances. I
can tell you that there was a break in communication.” The option of a
new convention cannot be ruled out. Since the modalities for selecting
delegates and electing the national officers led to the bitter feud, the
party can renegotiate with the faction on how to correct the mistakes
that were committed at the recent convention.
The faction has
demanded for Tukur’s resignation, saying that he is a divisive and
destabilising factor. This is a delicate matter. The President is
leaning on Tukur, who has backed his second term bid. It is certain that
the factional members are opposed to the President’s second term. But,
according to a source, if the President acceeds to the demand that Tukur
should go, the faction will likely reel out more demanding conditions
that may pull the rug off the feet of the President. There are
individuals who have grudges against the party.
One of them is the
former National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, whose election
was not voided by the INEC. If the party reinstates him as the
secretary, he may retrace its steps. How to also resolve the crisis
stirred by the governorship primaries in Anambra State is another issue.
The faction has insisted that the party decided the primaries in favour
of Mr. Tony Nwoye, to the detriment of Senator Andy Uba. There are
other challenges. The faction has revisited the controversial Nigerian
Governors’ Forum (NGF) and demanded that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of
Rivers State should be recognised as the authentic chairman, instead of
Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/46155.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/46155.html
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