PDP crisis: Obasanjo peace moves again falls through

There was no breakthrough in the peace move by elders of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday.

The meeting by the elders aimed at restoring peace in the troubled party failed to strike any immediate agreements as each of the feuding parties dug-in in their positions.

Both parties insisted that their conditions for peace must be satisfied before the party could move forward.

The elders at the meeting included former President Olusegun Obasanjo; ex-military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida; Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih; and former national chairmen of the party - Dr. Ahmadu Ali and Chief Barnabas Gemade.

Chiefs Alex Ekwueme and Solomon Lar were absent at the meeting as they were said to have travelled outside the country.

They were said to be abroad and could not make it to the closed-door session.

The senior members of the party met with the two factions at Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

However, there was a mild drama before the commencement of the meeting as both the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and his counterpart in Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, told a lady believed to be one of Obasanjo's children that Dr. Bamanga Tukur, was no longer the party's chairman when she referred to Tukur as the PDP chairman.

Those at the meeting, apart from Obasanjo, who tried to mediate were a former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.); former chairmen of the party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali,  Sen. Barnabas Gemade and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih.

Sources at the meeting said the  National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur told the elders  how its National Working Committee has been doing its best to carry all PDP members along.

Tukur claimed that he took office with a reconciliation mission, which he said had remained his focus since assuming office.

According the source, Tukur condemned the factionalisation of the PDP by the splinter group led by Atiku, Baraje and seven governors in spite of many interventions in the last two months by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The chairman submitted that the condition precedent to peace moves by the elders was getting the group now known as new PDP from parading themselves as the parallel PDP National Working Committee; subject themselves to the constitution of PDP; and allow the party leadership to resolve all issues raised by the governors.

For Baraje faction, it flaunted its four-point demand bordering on the removal of Tukur, the need for Jonathan to forget seeking re-election in 2015, the resolution of the Nigeria Governors Forum crisis and the stoppage of harassment of governors by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It was also leant that the group demanded the recognition of the executive of Adamawa State chapter of the party led by Alhaji Minjinyawa Kugama as against the one being led by Joel Madaki, which Tukur installed.

It was also learnt that the group insisted that a new convention must be held to elect members of the National Working Committee of the party since the August 31 convention, according to the group, lacked credibility.

However, the Tukur group was said to have insisted that most of the demands of the other group could not be met.

For example, it was gathered that the Tukur group claimed that the NWC was validly elected and that the decision to leave office would be determined by individuals.

On the suspension of Amaechi, it was gathered that the group said the governor's court case was an impediment to the lifting of the suspension.

They also said that only the President was capable of deciding whether to recognise Amaechi as the chairman of the NGF or not.

According to a source,  'So far, the elders have not apportioned blame, but they allowed each group to lay its cards on the table. I think there is progress somehow in view of the fact that many party leaders had assumed that the peace talks would not take place.'

The National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, also led some members of his National Working Committee to the meeting.

Members of the New PDP, who were at the meeting were its National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Jaja; former Governor of Gombe State, Sen. Danjuma Goje; and the former Governor of Kwara State, Sen. Bukola Saraki.

Others are the Governor of Jigawa State., Alhaji Sule Lamido; Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko.

Governors who came on the side of the Tukur-led PDP  included Liyel Imoke(Cross River), Idris Wada(Kogi), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Theordore Orji(Abia), Godswill Akpabio(Akwa Ibom), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shem(Katsina) and Isa Yuguda(Bauchi).

It was also leant that the group demanded the recognition of the executive of Adamawa State chapter of the party led by Alhaji Minjinyawa Kugama as against the one being led by Joel Madaki, which Tukur installed.

It was also learnt that the group insisted that a new convention must be held to elect members of the National Working Committee of the party since the August 31 convention, according to the group, lacked credibility.

However, the Tukur group was said to have insisted that most of the demands of the other group could not be met.

For example, it was gathered that the Tukur group claimed that the NWC was validly elected and that the decision to leave office would be determined by individuals.

On the suspension of Amaechi, it was gathered that the group said the governor's court case was an impediment to the lifting of the suspension.

They also said that only the President was capable of deciding whether to recognise Amaechi as the chairman of the NGF or not.

Obasanjo spoke to reporters briefly at the end of the meeting and said the elders' intervention was necessary to save the PDP from brinkmanship.

He said: 'You have seen five of us as select elders of the party. We have taken it upon ourselves to prevent the worst from happening to our dear party.

'Two of our members are abroad and could not join us. They are Solomon Lar and Alex Ekwueme, and we are carrying them along.

'Whatever the reports we are making, suffice it to say that it is family dispute within the PDP, which we want to stem the tide of going to the brink.

'And I want to say that we have met with the two sides of the family. We have listened to them, and, of course, we are going to put our heads together and go on from there.'