CASTING SPELLS FOR 2015 .. SAVING PDP FROM HERSELF : PDP Crises: President Asks Tukur, Other NWC Members to Resign ... THISDAYNEWS

 Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

•Party lifts suspension on Wamakko, silent on Amaechi 
•To hold NEC meeting Thursday to consider Mu'azu, Babayo, others as interim chairman
Chuks Okocha
The crises in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came to a head Monday when the committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to resolve the spiralling crises in the party demanded the immediate resignation of the party's National Working Committee (NWC) members led by the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

THISDAY sources at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the decision was taken to “save the party from imminent collapse”.

The directive to Tukur and other NWC members to step down came on the heels of the decision to lift the suspension slammed on the Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, by the PDP for insubordination.
THISDAY had exclusively reported last week that the president had set up a committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, to resolve the crises in the party.

Other members of the committee included the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, the President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi) and Theodore Orji (Abia).
All members of the committee were present at their inaugural meeting last Saturday night except Suswam.

Part of the recommendations that were to be made by the committee, THISDAY had learnt, was for the resignation of the four NWC members whose election had been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Although other members of the NWC may be considered collateral damage, the real target, THISDAY learnt, was Tukur, who had been blamed by several governors and other party chieftains for most of the crises in the party.

The presidential directive was said to have been conveyed to Tukur at a meeting at the Legacy House, Abuja, attended by Anyim and four PDP governors.

According to party sources, “The president directed that the entire NWC members should resign and that the party's National Executive Council (NEC) meeting be convened immediately.

“The directive was as a result of the seemingly rudderless leadership headed by Alhaji Tukur, which had been taking unilateral actions, including the suspension of its top members.

“The president is unhappy with the inability of Tukur to contain the growing level of indiscipline and discontent among members of the party.
“Also, the presidency is worried about the number of court cases pending in the various courts, even against the NWC members.

“The president has told them that if nothing urgent is done to save the party, it will get to an embarrassing point which is why he directed the resignation of the NWC members to stave off future embarrassment.
“The president believes that once the NWC is out of place and a mid-term convention holds to elect a new set of executives, the trouble and legal works will fizzle out.”

However, before the presidential directive had reached Tukur Monday, the party's national chairman had earlier in the day announced the lifting of the suspension slammed on Wamakko by the party.

But he was silent on Wamakko’s Rivers State counterpart, Chibuike Amaechi, who was also suspended by the party for anti-party activities about a month ago.

He also announced that the party would hold its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, June 20, 2013 by 12 noon. The last NEC meeting of the PDP was held a year ago in July.

THISDAY had also exclusively reported yesterday that the Anyim-led committee was scheduled to meet with the NWC yesterday, during which a recommendation for Wamakko’s recall from suspension was going to be made.

The Anyim-led committee, which met during the weekend, had resolved to push for Wamakko’s immediate recall, as his suspension was considered a costly mistake on the part of the party.

However, providing clarification on the decision not to rescind the suspension of Amaechi, Akpabio told journalists yesterday shortly after the decision on Wamakko was taken that the party could not have lifted Amaechi’s suspension because he was already in court.

“The matter is in court and doing anything on it would be prejudicial. He is in court,” Akpabio explained.
Wamakko was suspended by the NWC on June 5 for allegedly disrespecting Tukur.

Following his suspension, the PDP crises had taken a turn for the worse, especially coming on the heels of Amaechi’s suspension.

Addressing reporters after a two-hour meeting the NWC members held with the presidential committee, Tukur said: “NWC has rescinded the suspension of the Sokoto State governor on the appeal of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

“Secondly, the national chairman is inviting PDP statutory members to the meeting of National Executive Committee holding on Thursday, 20 at 12 noon.”

Speaking further on Wamakko’s suspension, Tukur added: “I hope this issue will never come again. It is a great party and we believe in our nation. We need a party as a platform to stand on, but it must be based on unity, discipline and commitment.

“We are also going to have the NEC meeting, and we have the support to rescind the suspension, which is a very important thing. We rescind the suspension of our governor of Sokoto.

“With that, we are ready for further business because the NEC meeting is the requirement of our own party, which is a way to get in touch with the people to tell them of our programmes like the state of the nation and also state of the party.
“So we are going to have our NEC meeting on Thursday the 20th of this month by 12 noon.”
Speaking shortly after Tukur had addressed the press, Akpabio said: “I want to thank the national chairman and members of the working committee for granting us the privilege of this meeting today.

“We came as a select committee of the Peoples Democratic Party to discuss the state of affairs of our great party, particularly the relationship between the working committee and the PDP governors and I want to say that we made a very strong appeal to the working committee on behalf of our colleague, the governor of Sokoto State, Governor Wamakko. 

“Our appeal was very simple that the working committee should reconsider the suspension, the decision suspending the governor and we said as guarantors that we will be of good conduct and will do everything possible to continue to show respect to our party and to ensure that a cordial relationship is maintained between the working committee and the PDP governors.”

Akpabio explained that their decision to appeal on behalf of Wamakko was based on numerous media reports, some of which, he said, were misleading and did not reflect the true relationship that exists between the PDP governors and NWC.

“We are mindful of the fact that we are governors today because the PDP gave us the opportunity to fly its flag. Therefore, we will not do anything to undermine the party.

“Our appeal was very simple to the working committee that the working committee should reconsider the suspension of our colleague and just like they say both in the Koran and in the Bible: ‘When your child offends you, you chastise the child but you call him back.’

“Yes, indeed, the suspension is a clear indication that the party does not like indiscipline but we appealed that the decision should be rescinded and we gave an undertaking to ensure that our colleague, the governor of Sokoto would come with us to meet with the NWC.
“After that, whatever the issue of contention is, will be definitely resolved. That was our appeal and that was our mission,” he said.

On the other aspect of the committee’s meeting with the NWC, Akpabio added: “The working committee has also acceded to the request by the PDP governors that there is a need for us to have a meeting of the National Executive Committee.

“We have not had it for quite some time. But when we meet, we can look at the status of our party and discuss issues affecting us, and so that we can sit down as a strong party Nigerians have confidence in.”
On the decision by the party not to rescind Amaechi’s suspension, Akpabio maintained, “The matter is in court and it would be prejudicial to discuss any matter in court.”

In the meantime, THISDAY learnt that at the NEC meeting of the party on Thursday, the party would consider the appointment of an interim national chairman who would hold forth until the mid-term convention.

Names that were thrown up last night included the former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mu'azu, and former national secretary of the party, Musa Babayo, among others.

However, THISDAY gathered that Mu'azu's chances may be slim due to the opposition he may face from his governor and the state chapter of the party.
Since the 2007 general election, there has been no love lost between Yuguda and Mu'azu.