Fresh worry over PDP’s unity as peace tour ends

• Jonathan, Anenih, govs, others absent

• Tukur rules out candidates’ imposition

• ‘Opposition governors to defect to PDP’

UNLIKE a fresh sense of hope that the reconciliatory tour of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was expected to engender, it rather raised the fear of a persistent crack in the party Sunday.

This fear was borne out of the absence of the leaders of the party from the reconciliatory tour grand finale, which took place in Abuja yesterday. The event recorded poor turn-out by public officers elected on the platform of the party.

The event, which was also used to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, was done without the physical presence of President Goodluck Jonathan who is the leader of the party.

The Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, was equally absent.

Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio and Idris Wada of Kogi State were the only governors in attendance.

Senate President David Mark and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, are currently in Ecuador to attend the 2013 meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

Only four deputy governors from Gombe, Niger, Kwara and Rivers State were in attendance too.

Vice President Namadi Sambo, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, commended the party leadership for embarking on the reconciliation, saying that the strength of PDP had continued to be the unity of its members.

He noted that with unity and peace, the party would be strong enough to tackle the opposition.

“The decision to embark on the reconciliatory tour is to properly position the party to face future challenges,” he said.

PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, said that his leadership of the party had continued to ensure that party manifesto was fully translated into reality.

According to him, the drive to ensure greater performance by PDP government was part of what informed the reconciliation.

He pledged that the PDP would be made to adhere to the dreams and vision of its founding fathers. Tukur ruled out imposition of candidates for the next general elections.

Akpabio dismissed allegations of a silent crisis within the party that could cause the defection of some of its governors to other political parties soon.

“I must say that the peace in the party now is remarkable. The PDP governors are totally and fully behind our party’s national chairman and the NWC. Also, PDP governors are solidly behind President Goodluck Jonathan and the party.

“The peace in the PDP is sending jitters to the opposition and that is why they are busy spreading falsehood in newspapers that eight governors are planning to defect from PDP to other parties. I have personally spoken with 22 PDP governors and they have all denied the story. To the contrary, the opposition parties will be shocked when some governors elected on their platforms will defect to PDP,” he said.

He said the formation of the PDP Governors’ Forum had clearly created political problems for opposition parties, pointing out that that was why the forum was receiving media attacks from the opposition.

The party began its reconciliatory tour to the six geo-political zones on March 15, 2013. It was meant to facilitate the unity of the party. It began from the South-West in Ibadan.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, had said: “The reconciliatory tour is meant to reconcile all interests, groups and contending issues in the party that posed threat to party’s unity and cohesion.”

Metuh, however, declared that there was no condition attached to the reconciliatory programme, adding that it would be strictly restricted to the party’s constitution.

On whether the exercise would address the issue of alleged refusal of some state chapters of the party to re-admit some former members, the party’s spokesman said there was no plan to discriminate against anybody intending to be re-admitted.

Meanwhile, the reconciliatory tour was the PDP leadership’s response to a plethora of crises that were ravaging the party in almost all the states of the federation.

Among the knotty issues had been the question of authentic party executive in Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s home-state, Adamawa, the controversial removal of former scribe, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was allegedly foisted on the National Working Committee (NWC), and the perceived ambition of some governors who may threaten President Jonathan’s interest in 2015, as a result of which there now exists a PDP Governors’ Forum.

The party had been factionalised in states like Ogun, Lagos and Abia, among others, where it has worked to woo back the aggrieved members ahead of 2015 general elections.

The crises had at one time so taken up political discourse that the Political Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, admitted: “Yes, there are challenges in the party, but Mr. President is trying his best to resolve them in the interest of the party and the nation.

“I can assure you that Mr. President will not allow the crisis in his party to affect national interest and well-being of Nigerians. The President is on top of the situation and is already achieving results. I want to tell you that soon, this party’s problem will be a thing of the past.”

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has denied a report published in a national newspaper (not The Guardian) that he planned to leave the PDP alongside seven other governors ahead of the 2015 elections.

Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, Ahmed said there was no iota of truth in the report and dismissed the publication as the handiwork of mischief-makers bent on causing disaffection in PDP.