Pages

Saturday 7 September 2013

Obasanjo, IBB, Anenih Meet Tukur, Baraje Groups •Factions, Govs Table Grievances •Crisis ’ll Be Over Soon - Obasanjo

ELDERS panel of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday met the warring groups within the party, with each presenting its grievances before the panel.
The elders met the two factions within the Governors’ Forum as well as the Bamanga Tukur and Abubakar Baraje factions of the party. Each of the groups reportedly took turns to present its grievances.
Each of the groups had earlier held their separate caucus meetings before the presentation before the elders. It was learnt that the Tukur group had a marathon meeting at the State House, while the Baraje group were said to have also met first at Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s residence and later in an undisclosed Governors’s Lodge in Asokoro.

The elders were said to have retreated to their own meeting after taking the submission of all the factions.
A source close to the meeting, however, hinted that no decision was taken as to their recommendations, which will be submitted to the president and an enlarged caucus of the party.
Saturday Tribune was told that the Baraje group repeated their six-point grievances, which bordered on violations of the party constitution and the autocratic style of Tukur. The Tukur group was said to have accused the other factions of failing to act within the party’s constitution to pursue their grievances.
It was further learnt that the Rotimi Amaechi faction (of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum) insisted that its election be recogonised and that Governor Jonah Jang should accept defeat. Jang’s faction was said to have insisted that it was the duly elected leadership of the forum.
Other party elders that attended the peace meeting which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, with Obasanjo are former President Ibrahim Babangida; Chairman, Board of Trustees of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih; Senator Banabas Gemade, and Dr Ahmadu Alli, former National Chairman of the party.
However, both Chief Solomon Lar, the pioneer National Chairman of the party, and forner Vice-President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, who were billed to attend the peace parley, could not make it as they were said to be out of the country.
The PDP elders met with the two groups at different locations in the hotel. While the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP stayed in Benue Hall, the Alhaji Baraje group stayed at the Kaduna Hall. It was learnt that the Obasanjo-led elders shuttled between the two locations throughout the five-hour meeting.
Tukur was accompanied by Governors Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Ibrahim Shema (Kastina), as well as governors of Delta, Cross River, Abia and Kogi states
On the other hand, Baraje was accompanied by Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Aliu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, and former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola among others.
 Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the meetings, Obasanjo said that the elders decided to intervene in the crisis in order to save the party from total collapse.
He said, “I thank you for exercising patience. 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 party.

No comments:

Post a Comment