PDP crisis: Anenih warns Tukur, Baraje to shun inflammatory outbursts

By The Citizen

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the (PDP) Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday told National Chairman of the party Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to stop making inflammatory statements capable of escalating the crises in the party.

He also said that the utterances of Tukur and those of the factional chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, could jeopardise the reconciliatory efforts in the party.

He warned members of the factional party to retrace their steps now or else the PDP train would leave them behind. Tukur also threatened that even if they returned to the fold they would face the consequences of their actions.

The BoT chairman in a statement entitled, 'A call for caution' said: 'It is unfortunate that while the reconciliatory efforts are being made, some of our members are making inflammatory statements, intimidating one another and issuing threats of court actions. Such actions do nothing but harm the efforts at reconciliation.'

Anenih, however, added that several mechanisms had been put in place to address the grievances of members.

He said: 'Following the walk-out staged by some aggrieved members of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the special convention of August 31, 2013, there have been genuine efforts by the leadership of the party, including the President himself, to reach out and reconcile with the aggrieved members, using the numerous mechanisms for conflict resolution that exist in the party.

A series of meetings have been held and more are scheduled to hold in the next few days. 'Like a good family, we must avoid open confrontation and allow the leadership of the party to effect genuine reconciliation. Conflict is not new to the PDP and as in the past, I am confident that, in spite of the differences, the current one will be resolved with the party coming out even stronger and more united than ever.'

Anenih decried the exchange of words between Tukur and Baraje, which he described as disrespectful and undermines President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP leadership.

'To make preemptive statements while the process of reconciliation is still on is disrespectful not only to the President but to the party leadership. Such statements undermine the party and the enormous efforts being made under the transformation agenda of the Mr. President.

'I therefore call on all members of our great party to exercise restraint throughout this trying period.' Tukur nonetheless warned Atiku and the seven governors of the dire consequences of their actions. He spoke at a seminar for all women and youth leaders in the party drawn from the 36 states of the federation. - National Mirror.