President Goodluck Jonathan
•New PDP elects NWC members
•Court rejects application by splinter group to reopen office
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Akinwale Akintunde i
Ahead of today’s meeting to consider the report of the Elders Committee headed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo which met last Friday on the factionalisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the splinter group led by Alhaji Abubakar Baraje has elected its national officers who will form the nucleus of the New PDP.
THISDAY gathered that despite divisions among members of the Elders Committee on the recommendations of their report, the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan, the governors of the party, and the six PDP governors, who broke away to form the splinter group, would still go ahead today as planned.
It was gathered that Obasanjo’s committee ran into troubled waters and could not reach a decision on some of the contentious issues like the factional crisis in the Adamawa State PDP, the recall of the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, holding of another national convention, and the harassment by security agents of those considered to be on the opposite side of the president.
However, the Obasanjo committee will still meet to present its report for consideration by a larger house.
THISDAY gathered that the Obasanjo report did not get the unanimous support of all the members of the committee, as two of them were said to be uncomfortable with some of the recommendations.
For instance, a source said the duties of the Elders Committee are not known to the PDP constitution, as what the constitution of the party provides for is a Board of Trustees (BoT) that mediates in such matters. The chairman of the BoT is Chief Tony Anenih.
The disagreement among members of the Elders Committee, notwithstanding, a statement issued yesterday by the National Secretary of the New PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said the stakeholders of the party across the country at a meeting in Abuja ratified the election of members of the splinter group’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The NWC members, according to the statement, are: Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Chairman; Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Deputy National Chairman; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, National Secretary; and Hon. Maode Umar Hiliya, Deputy National Secretary.
Others are Mr. Timi Frank, National Youth Leader; Hon Binta Koje, National Woman leader; Mallam Nasir Issa, National Organising Secretary; Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, National Publicity Secretary; Hon. Aliyu Wadada, National Financial Secretary; and Mallam Tanko Isiaku Gomna, National Treasurer.
The statement added that the positions of national auditor and that of national legal adviser, which were zoned to the South-east and South-west respectfully, would be announced soon.
Despite the group’s election of party officials, an Ikeja High Court yesterday rejected an oral application made by the faction asking the court to order the reopening of its secretariat in Abuja, which was sealed off by the police on Saturday.
Justice Ganiyu Safari refused to make a definite pronouncement on the grounds that there was no concrete evidence before the court linking the Tukur-led faction of the party to the action of the police.
The Baraje faction had dragged the PDP led by Tukur to court, asking it to restrain the embattled chairman and his co-defendants from parading themselves as PDP NEC members.
At yesterday's proceedings, Mr. Robert Emukpaero, counsel to the New PDP, accused Tukur and others of using the police to seal off the faction’s secretariat and asked for the withdrawal of police officers and their Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) from the party's secretariat.
Emukpaero said the defendants had violated the court's previous order to maintain the status quo, pending the determination of the suit.
He therefore urged the court to order the police to remove their APC vehicles from the secretariat and allow his clients access to their offices.
But counsel to Tukur and others, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, told the court that there was no evidence linking them to the closure of the secretariat.
He said it was only an assumption that the police had acted on the orders of his clients.
Oluyede said it was only the police that could explain why the office was sealed off.
The vacation judge, Justice Safari, in a short ruling, held that there was no evidence linking the defendants to the closure of the said secretariat.
The judge said while the defendants were high ranking members of the PDP, they had no powers to order the police to seal off the secretariat or deploy security agents in the area.
Justice Safari however reiterated his previous order that both parties should maintain the status quo, pending the determination of the matter.
The other claimants in the suit are Jaja and Oyinlola. Joined alongside Tukur as defendants are Mr. Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman; Dr. Kema Chikwe, National Women Leader; and Mr. Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary.
The judge adjourned hearing on the preliminary objection filed by the defendants to September 17.
Earlier, there was a mild drama as three lawyers claimed to have letter of instruction to represent the defendants.
In another incident, three days after the police invaded the secretariat of the New PDP, one of the frontline movers of the group, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Inspector General of Police (IG), Abubakar Muhammed, to instruct his officers to vacate the party’s headquarters immediately.
The former vice-president, who is currently in China leading a private economic trade mission at the invitation of the Chinese government, interrupted his schedule yesterday to issue a statement declaring that the police invasion on the party's office had no justification in law, but was rather borne out of political control.
The statement read: “While it is embarrassing that the police have yet to give a reason why they are laying siege to a political party office, the whole world knows these are acts prompted by unscrupulous politicians who do not even have the moral conscience not to involve the police in politics.”
The former vice-president noted that this goes to the root of the current crisis within the PDP: “Priorities. What does it say to our citizens, who live daily with the fear of violence and kidnappings, that our police priority is raiding a political party office?
“I call on the leadership of the Nigerian Police, especially its Inspector General, to steer clear of political entanglements, and immediately vacate our party offices. Our national law enforcement priority must be the safety and security of Nigerians, not politics.”
•New PDP elects NWC members
•Court rejects application by splinter group to reopen office
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Akinwale Akintunde i
Ahead of today’s meeting to consider the report of the Elders Committee headed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo which met last Friday on the factionalisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the splinter group led by Alhaji Abubakar Baraje has elected its national officers who will form the nucleus of the New PDP.
THISDAY gathered that despite divisions among members of the Elders Committee on the recommendations of their report, the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan, the governors of the party, and the six PDP governors, who broke away to form the splinter group, would still go ahead today as planned.
It was gathered that Obasanjo’s committee ran into troubled waters and could not reach a decision on some of the contentious issues like the factional crisis in the Adamawa State PDP, the recall of the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, holding of another national convention, and the harassment by security agents of those considered to be on the opposite side of the president.
However, the Obasanjo committee will still meet to present its report for consideration by a larger house.
THISDAY gathered that the Obasanjo report did not get the unanimous support of all the members of the committee, as two of them were said to be uncomfortable with some of the recommendations.
For instance, a source said the duties of the Elders Committee are not known to the PDP constitution, as what the constitution of the party provides for is a Board of Trustees (BoT) that mediates in such matters. The chairman of the BoT is Chief Tony Anenih.
The disagreement among members of the Elders Committee, notwithstanding, a statement issued yesterday by the National Secretary of the New PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said the stakeholders of the party across the country at a meeting in Abuja ratified the election of members of the splinter group’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The NWC members, according to the statement, are: Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Chairman; Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Deputy National Chairman; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, National Secretary; and Hon. Maode Umar Hiliya, Deputy National Secretary.
Others are Mr. Timi Frank, National Youth Leader; Hon Binta Koje, National Woman leader; Mallam Nasir Issa, National Organising Secretary; Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, National Publicity Secretary; Hon. Aliyu Wadada, National Financial Secretary; and Mallam Tanko Isiaku Gomna, National Treasurer.
The statement added that the positions of national auditor and that of national legal adviser, which were zoned to the South-east and South-west respectfully, would be announced soon.
Despite the group’s election of party officials, an Ikeja High Court yesterday rejected an oral application made by the faction asking the court to order the reopening of its secretariat in Abuja, which was sealed off by the police on Saturday.
Justice Ganiyu Safari refused to make a definite pronouncement on the grounds that there was no concrete evidence before the court linking the Tukur-led faction of the party to the action of the police.
The Baraje faction had dragged the PDP led by Tukur to court, asking it to restrain the embattled chairman and his co-defendants from parading themselves as PDP NEC members.
At yesterday's proceedings, Mr. Robert Emukpaero, counsel to the New PDP, accused Tukur and others of using the police to seal off the faction’s secretariat and asked for the withdrawal of police officers and their Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) from the party's secretariat.
Emukpaero said the defendants had violated the court's previous order to maintain the status quo, pending the determination of the suit.
He therefore urged the court to order the police to remove their APC vehicles from the secretariat and allow his clients access to their offices.
But counsel to Tukur and others, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, told the court that there was no evidence linking them to the closure of the secretariat.
He said it was only an assumption that the police had acted on the orders of his clients.
Oluyede said it was only the police that could explain why the office was sealed off.
The vacation judge, Justice Safari, in a short ruling, held that there was no evidence linking the defendants to the closure of the said secretariat.
The judge said while the defendants were high ranking members of the PDP, they had no powers to order the police to seal off the secretariat or deploy security agents in the area.
Justice Safari however reiterated his previous order that both parties should maintain the status quo, pending the determination of the matter.
The other claimants in the suit are Jaja and Oyinlola. Joined alongside Tukur as defendants are Mr. Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman; Dr. Kema Chikwe, National Women Leader; and Mr. Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary.
The judge adjourned hearing on the preliminary objection filed by the defendants to September 17.
Earlier, there was a mild drama as three lawyers claimed to have letter of instruction to represent the defendants.
In another incident, three days after the police invaded the secretariat of the New PDP, one of the frontline movers of the group, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Inspector General of Police (IG), Abubakar Muhammed, to instruct his officers to vacate the party’s headquarters immediately.
The former vice-president, who is currently in China leading a private economic trade mission at the invitation of the Chinese government, interrupted his schedule yesterday to issue a statement declaring that the police invasion on the party's office had no justification in law, but was rather borne out of political control.
The statement read: “While it is embarrassing that the police have yet to give a reason why they are laying siege to a political party office, the whole world knows these are acts prompted by unscrupulous politicians who do not even have the moral conscience not to involve the police in politics.”
The former vice-president noted that this goes to the root of the current crisis within the PDP: “Priorities. What does it say to our citizens, who live daily with the fear of violence and kidnappings, that our police priority is raiding a political party office?
“I call on the leadership of the Nigerian Police, especially its Inspector General, to steer clear of political entanglements, and immediately vacate our party offices. Our national law enforcement priority must be the safety and security of Nigerians, not politics.”
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