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The crisis of leadership rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to have finally reached its peak: the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is set to resign along with other National Working Committee (NWC) members by Thursday this week.
Naija Hottest Gist also gathered last night that the former Bauchi State governor Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu (Walin Bauchi) may become the next PDP chairman to replace Tukur. Mu’azu was Bauchi govenor between 1999-2007.
Tukur’s resignation is coming on the heels of the recommendation of the Anyim Pius Anyim Committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan. The panel recommended the resignation of the NWC members in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) report which termed as void the process through which the NWC members emerged.
Though Tukur was cleared by the INEC report, Naija Hottest Gist gathered that if the other NWC members resigned only Tukur and Elder Bolaji Anani, the party’s national financial secretary, would be left and they cannot form the required quorum to stay in office or hold any meeting.
The development came just as suspended Sokoto State governor Aliyu Wamakko got the suspension placed on him lifted yesterday following a meeting of the Anyim Committee with Tukur.
But the Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi remains suspended. Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio said it was due to the sub-judicial nature his case had taken.
INEC had, a few months ago, declared that the process through which some of the members of the party’s NWC emerged in the party’s national convention last year was unacceptable and illegal.
The electoral umpire condemned the process, noting that the process which produced 12 of the 16-member exco violated paragraph 6.5 (1) of the guidelines for the conduct of the 2012 congresses and national convention and, therefore, void.
The rule says nobody should emerge unopposed.
INEC had listed the national officers of the party whose election violated the stipulated provision to include: deputy national chairman Dr Sam Sam Jaja, national organising secretary Abubakar Mustapha, his deputy Okechukwu Nnadozie, national publicity secretary Chief Olisa Metuh, his deputy Binta Goje, national youth leader Alhaji Garba Chiza, his deputy Dennis Alonge Niyi, deputy national auditor Senator Umar Ibrahim, national women leader Kema Chikwe, her deputy Hannatu Ulam, deputy national treasurer Claudus Inengas and national legal adviser Victor Kwon.
The electoral umpire’s report recognised Tukur, suspended national secretary Olagunsoye Oyinlola, sacked national auditor Bode Mustapha and national financial secretary Elder Bolaji Anani as those duly elected.
According to INEC’s acting director, legal, Ibrahim Bawa, “The mode of election adopted for single candidates was not in accordance with the mode of election stipulated in paragraph 6.5 (i) of the guidelines for the conduct of the year 2012 congresses and national convention and, therefore, not acceptable to the commission.”
Naija Hottest Gist learnt that the affected NWC members would tender their resignation this Thursday during the NEC meeting of the party wherein the party would accept the resignations and ratify the date for a fresh convention.
Our correspondent further gathered while some NWC members like Metuh, Kwon, Mustapha and a few others will stage a peaceful comeback to the party’s leadership, others like Jaja – who came on the wings of Governor Amaechi — have been marked to quit.
NGF: 16 governors attend Jang meeting
In spite of the invitation extended to the 36 state governors, only 16 yesterday attended the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) meeting summoned by factional chairman Jonah Jang.
The 16 governors at the meeting were the same people that came for the opening of the new secretariat last month.
Jang had summoned a meeting of the 36 governors following a walk-out by the finance commissioners from the states on the minister of state for finance over their dissatisfaction with the handling of the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
But the elected chairman of the NGF, River State governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, asked his colleagues to ignore the meeting, warning Jang to stop impersonating him.
However, most governors from the ruling PDP failed to honour Jang’s meeting yesterday, even though some of them were in Abuja.
Governors present at Jang’s meeting included those of Plateau, Ondo, Taraba, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Gombe, Enugu, Cross River and Katsina.
The governors from the PDP that did not turn up for the meeting included Sokoto, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, Niger, Adamawa and Rivers.
Expectedly, the All Progressive Congress governors refused to show up at the meeting. However, briefing the press after their meeting which ended at 9:20pm Jang said the meeting was a success, adding that a quorum was formed.
He also refused to comment on the outcome of their meeting since they were hurrying to meet the president. He also denied being an impostor.
“We just had a meeting to discuss the impact of FAAC. We cannot tell what we discussed inside because we have to meet with Mr. President first.”
On the attendance of the governors in spite of the wide invitation to the 36 governors, Jang said, “Some governors travelled. You cannot stop the governors because you are going to have NGF meeting. Some have travelled and some have offered apology for their inability to attend.
“Our quorum is 12, so anytime we are 12 we can hold meetings. It has been the situation in the past.”
Reacting to allegation that he was impersonating the chairman of the NGF, Jang quipped, “What is the meaning of impersonation? Have I said I am governor of Rivers State?”
How PDP reversed Wamakko’s suspension
Meanwhile Tukur was yesterday forced to beat a retreat and rescind the decision of the party’s NWCto suspend Wamakko.
The intrigues have also forced the national leadership of the party to slate this Thursday as the date for its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
Yesterday at the Legacy House of the PDP in Maitama, Abuja, the Senator Anyim-led committee set up by the presidency led select PDP governors to a meeting with Tukur and some members.
we also gathered that the group had earlier been to the presidential villa where it submitted its report to Jonathan, who apparently disturbed by the outburst generated by the suspension of Wamakko had initiated the reconciliatory move
The PDP had suspended Wamakko for gross act of indiscipline as it accused the governor of disobeying the leadership of the party.
At the meeting held at the Legacy House with Tukur’s NWC, chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum , Godswill Akpabio , said they had come to beg Bamanga to rescind his decision and that it was pertinent to resolve some issues in the party .
Akpabio said:”We came as a select committee of the PDP 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 Wamakko. And our appeal was very simple: that the working committee should reconsider the suspension.
“We say 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 cordiality is maintained between the working committee and the PDP governors.
“We took this decision based on the numerous media reports, some of which are misleading and which are not really the true reflection of the relationship existing between the PDP governors and the working committee of our great party.
“We are mindful of the fact that we are governors today because the PDP gave us the opportunity to fly its flag and, therefore, we will not do anything to undermine the party. We appeal very simply to the working committee that it should reconsider the suspension of our colleague and just like they say both in the Koran and in the Bible that ‘when your child offends you, you chastise the child but you call him back’,” Akpabio said.
Responding, Tukur hinted that the suspension on the Sokoto governor would be lifted but said the PDP needed a party as a platform to stand on, but it must be based on unity, discipline and commitment.
Tukur proceeded to announce that the party’s NEC meeting will hold on Thursday at about noon.
“NWC has rescinded the suspension of the Sokoto State governor on the appeal of the PDP Governors’ Forum and, secondly, the national chairman is inviting the PDP statutory members to the meeting of the National Executive Committee holding on Thursday, June 20, at noon,” Tukur said.
Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Theodore Orji (Abia), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi) Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) and secretary to the government of the federation Anyim Pius Anyim alongside the political adviser to the president, Ahmed Gulak, attended the meeting.
Members of the NWC of PDP at the meeting were: national chairmanTukur, acting national secretary Onwe Solomon Onwe, national organizing secretary Abubakar Mustapha, national legal adviser Victor Kwon, national financial secretary, national publicity secretary Olisa Metuh, Bolaji Anani, national women leader Kema Chikwe, and national treasurer Adewole Adeyanju.
