Amaechi, Uduaghan
THE
fence-mending efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party failed on Sunday
when the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and some other
dignitaries walked out of the party’s South-South zonal meeting
.
The Port Harcourt meeting took place just
as the factions of the PDP in the South-West disagreed on the outcome
of a similar parley in the zone.
Our correspondent in Rivers reported
that Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Forum, Chief
Godswill Akpabio, had begun addressing the gathering when Amaechi and
Uduaghan walked out.
But the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who was present at the meeting, defended the governors’ action.
He specifically referred to Uduaghan, whom he claimed rushed home to attend to an important family matter.
However, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim
Semenitari said that Amaechi left the venue of the meeting to see off the Delta State governor.
Amaechi did not return to the venue before the meeting ended.
Semenitari said, “You noticed that the
Governor of Delta State was leaving at the same time, Governor Amaechi
had to be a proper host. So he had to see off his colleague, the
governor of Delta state.
“I do not see any reason Governor Amaechi
would feel insulted by the comments of Governor Akpabio because he
(Akpabio) was responding to the comment of Governor Uduaghan.
“The people were obviously the ones who
responded, the Governor of Rivers State had no interest in that.
Governor Akpabio thought it necessary to dole out some charity to the
various states visiting as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. That
might be one of the ways he felt like reaching out to the people.”
Akpabio had announced a donation of N1m
to each state chairman of the party in the South-South based on
Uduaghan’s call that members of the party should be well-fed by the PDP.
The announcement by Akpabio appeared to have angered Amaechi, Uduaghan and some members of the PDP in attendance.
Uduaghan had said earlier that even if
all the roads were tarred, members of the PDP would appreciate the
provision of food on their tables.
He said, “I join all my brothers in the
South-South in welcoming you (Tukur). Even as an elected governor, I
must tell you this. Even if you tar all the roads in the South-South
without putting food on the table, our members will not appreciate the
party.
“If you want to prevent our members from going to other parties, you must put food in the stomach of our supporters.”
But Akpabio, apparently responding to
Uduaghan’s speech, added that the N1m should be used by the party
chairmen for their launch in order not to defect to other political
parties.
“My brother; Governor, Uduaghan said our
members are hungry and that we must put food in their stomachs so that
they don’t stray to other parties. I am giving all the state chairmen of
the party N1m each for lunch. Our members must not be hungry,” he said.
In a veiled reference to the 2015 election, Akpabio urged party faithful to support President Goodluck Jonathan.
The PDP Governors’ Forum chairman appealed to members of the party to see the success of Jonathan as that of the South-South.
“There is a hand of God in every
position of leadership. Bayelsa is, perhaps the smallest state in
Nigeria, but God decided to choose Goodluck Jonathan from Bayelsa State
to become the President. We must all support our brother to succeed. For
us, we shall not fail and we will never fail,” Akpabio added.
He, however, urged Tukur to make sure that the reconciliation meeting of the party was held twice every year.
Akpabio assured that the PDP would win 30
states in the 2015 elections if such measure was taken by the national
leadership of the party.
He said, “The party needs unity and
cohesion to win. We must compensate the disciples in each state. If you
are not a good follower, you cannot be a good leader.”
But Tukur, defended the action of the
governors, who left the meeting, saying the Delta State Governor was
rushing home to attend an important family matter.
He promised that the National Working Committee of the party would do everything within its power to strengthen the party.
Tukur said “You are the owners of PDP.
We will ensure that the party is brought back to the owners of the
party. Yes, there are disagreements, but we can end our differences and
still deliver our party in 2015.”
Meanwhile, efforts by the PDP to reconcile its warring factions in the South-West has hit the brick wall.
Investigations on Sunday showed that the
peace move failed because one of the factions in the dispute did not
regard the committee led by Tukur, as an impartial arbiter.
The PDP National Working Committee had on March 15 held a truce meeting with its South-West chapter in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The battle for the soul of the party in
the zone is between a group loyal to former President Olusegun
Obasanjo and another which is against the former president.
The PDP in the South-West has been
enmeshed in crises since the sacking of a former Osun State Governor,
Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as the party’s national secretary.
Barely a month after Oyinlola was
removed, the PDP National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha and the National
Vice-Chairman, Mr. Segun Oni, were also sent packing from their
offices.
Oyinlola, Mustapha and Oni are regarded as Obasanjo’s loyalists.
The PDP also sacked the Dipo Odunjirin-led executive in Ogun State which is said to be supported by Obasanjo.
The executive was replaced by the Bayo Dayo-led group believed to be loyal to a PDP chieftain, Chief Buruji Kashamu.
A chieftain of the party, who pleaded anonymity, said there was no way the Ibadan meeting could be regarded as reconciliatory.
He said, “If you look at the list of
people at the Ibadan meeting, most of them are those who think they can
further their political interest by trying to pull down Obasanjo. But
they will fail.
“Besides, the national chairman had right from the outset shown that he is against Obasanjo’s men.”
When contacted, a former deputy
governorship candidate in Ogun State, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, said the
Obasanjo group was not invited to the meeting.
He said, “We were not invited. I am not
sure if the former President was invited to the meeting or not; but I
am aware that he was not in the country then.
“Even, if we were invited, we would not
have gone because the so-called caretaker committee of the party in
the South-West is illegal.”
Tukur had last month inaugurated a caretaker committee to replace the Oni-led executive of the party in the zone.
But describing the caretaker committee as
illegal, Oladunjoye, said, “There is already an existing court
process, which has been served on Alhaji Tukur. The process says that
the committee should refrain from parading itself as the caretaker
committee or the executive of the South-West PDP.
“Since this court process has been served, it is expected that nobody should do anything to worsen the existing case.
“Again, if the quality of the audience
at the Ibadan meeting is to be used to assess the fortunes of the PDP
in South-West today, that means it is a total failure.”
But the National Publicity Secretary of
the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, debunked the allegation that former
governors of the party were not in attendance.
According to him, Agagu, Fayose and Isiaka Adeleke(Osun) were in attendance.
He said, “Former governors were in attendance, yet people are saying the tour was a failure. That is not correct.
On why Obasanjo was not in attendance, Metuh said the former President was not known to be attending zonal meetings.
“Chief Obasanjo has never attended zonal meetings of the PDP, except once in the 14 years history of the party,” he added.
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