FINALLY, PDP FALLS APART
The crisis in the leadership of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got to a head on Thursday as the party appears to have fallen apart.
Indications that the party may have broken into factions emerged after a meeting of its founding leaders and stakeholders in Abuja, which announced the take-over of the administration from the embattled National Working Committee (NWC).
“We the founding fathers, stakeholders and leaders of the party from all the six geopolitical zones hereby announce a 21-member steering committee to manage the affairs of the PDP, and work intimately with our respected members of BoT who are the conscience of the party till such a time that a proper, lawfully organised national convention of the party, where a new authentic leadership of the party will be duly elected in accordance to the provisions of our party constitution and guidelines.”
With these words, stakeholders led by the trio of Prof. Jerry Gana, former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu and media guru, Raymond Dokpesi, on Thursday announced the sack of embattled Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff as national chairman and the take-over of the party’s administration.
The announcement effectively brought into fore the factionalisation of the party.
But in a swift reaction, Modu-Sheriff described the Gana group as jokers, saying he remains the chairman of the party unless the appropriate organs of the party say so at the forthcoming national convention of the party planned for May 21.
The party chairman reacted through his Special Adviser on Media, Inuwa Bwala, who held a press conference at the party’s secretariat.
Modu Sheriff, who declared Jerry Gana and his group as spent force without political relevance in the party, also called to question the integrity of Gana, whom he threatened to drag before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged illegal withdrawal of N500 million belonging to the party.
Jerry Gana and his group, PDP Concerned Stakeholders had put together a summit of like minds in the party at Nicon Luxury Hotel where various decisions were taken about the future of the crisis-ridden party.
The group in its communiqué read by former Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said it had taken over the party back from Modu-Sheriff and announced a special committee to run the affairs of the party.
The group said the new committee would embark on a nationwide tour and will immediately put in place a national reconciliation committee to bring together all aggrieved party members.
They also condemned what they called the attempt by the “illegal NWC of the party to amend the constitution of the party in order to muzzle and control the BoT and thereby subject the BoT to the whims and caprices of the NWC.”
They called on PDP governors and lawmakers to “fight the cancer of impunity that has eaten deep into the tissues of our party.”
Speaking at the event, Gana who gave a keynote address said “what is happening in the party is a sad development of impunity, mindless imposition and mockery of democracy.
“We thought that leaders would have learnt the bitter lessons of taking people for granted as we saw in 2015”, he said.
Reeling out the achievements of PDP in the last 16 years, he said, “Members of PDP have every reason to be proud of themselves after one year those who took over from us are still struggling to know what to do. We will not tell them our secret. Nigerians are waiting for us.”
Speaking also, Prof. Tunde Adeniran said the party had degenerated drastically as he pronounced the present leadership under Modu-Sheriff as “a gang of hoodlums”.
“I sit back and feel like crying, indeed I do cry. This is a party founded by founding fathers, committed democrats, the labour of those past years under military seem to be going down the drain, when the party with great potential is being hijacked by hoodlums and gangsters”, he said.
But briefing newsmen on Thursday at the party’s secretariat, Sheriff, who was represented by his media aide, Inuwa Bwala, said the concerned leaders and other groups were technically no longer members of the party for taking internal affairs of the party to the public.
He added that the members were free to leave the party as they no longer have relevance in the party.
Lambasting Gana for spearheading what he called self-styled group, Sheriff said Gana was angry because he couldn’t manipulate him to achieve his desired selfish objectives.
“I know as a fact that Prof. Jerry Gana has written to the national chairman to allow him nominate some people into certain committees or allow them perform certain functions for the party. Whether these requests were granted or not is immaterial.
“But that is perhaps one of the reasons that he has taken the position against anything this man does. This is the same man who recognised the national chairman, writing to him on the need to submit the report on the finance committee which he headed.
“The chairman has been running away from receiving that report because it is on record that the same Jerry Gana on behalf of the party without using the machinery of the party collected the sum of N500 million from Skye Bank on behalf of the PDP for which the PDP has been dragged to court and is being compelled to pay back.
“Leaders of thought in this party including some elders have prevailed on the chairman not to make this matter known and to save this man from public embarrassment.
“But as it is, the chairman may be left with no option than to drag Jerry Gana before the EFCC to explain his role in obtaining N500 million facility on behalf of the party and let him also explain what he has done with the money”, Sheriff’s media aide said.
He described the agitators as the problem of the party, who cost the party the last general election.
He stated emphatically that the chairman won’t step down as being demanded but will stay back and finish his assignment as approved by the party.
“Certain faceless groups have come up with different gimmicks trying to divert attention from the effects of what they did in the past leading to the squandering of the fortunes of the party, or to distract the attention of the chairman from pursuing very lofty and laudable programmes for the repositioning of the PDP or even just to cause mischief.
“Unfortunately, among such groups are self-styled elders and stakeholders led by Professor Jerry Gana. I have seen him sweating on television, playing with language but at the end of the day saying nothing.
“I want to specifically say we kept sealed lips about some of the activities of this man believing that we could still find a rendezvous at which we could work together for the progress of the PDP. I must say, and there are witnesses, that this is one character that attempts to play role in every government since the time of the military.
“But given his recent action, I do not think that there is much in this man that would help or add value to the repositioning of the PDP. One wonders why he is leading such groups, all self styled, and not known to the constitution of the PDP. As baffling as his activities are, we know that he has his own personal grudges, likewise those who are queuing behind him.
“We know the very ignoble roles that he played that led to the PDP being defeated in the last election. These were the same characters that deceived President Jonathan into failure. Unfortunately most of them still go round to ask the chairman for one favour or the other and when the chairman declines they take offence against him.
“We have records. All of them played one role or the order to squander the fortunes of the party. It will be foolhardy for Sheriff to use same people who squandered the fortunes of the party.
“Sheriff is not stepping down. He will go ahead to conduct the national convention”, he said.
He further alleged that Gana had lobbied to have his nominees as part of the party’s forthcoming convention.
He said that a few individuals in Abuja cannot sit down and decide what happens in the party, adding, “If they decide to go it’s good riddance to bad rubbish.”
Members of the Concerned PDP Leaders include Ibrahim Mantu; Dubem Onyia; Raymond Dopkesi; ABC Nwosu; Okwesilieze Nwodo; Prof. Tunde Oyediran; Auwal Tukur; Doyin Okupe; Chief Ojo Madueke; Chief Olabode George; Hajiya Inna Ciroma; Shehu Gabam; Mrs, Remi Adiukwu; Dr. Shettima Mustapha; Amb. Wilberforce Juta; Haliru Ndabawa; Sen. Aniete Okon.
Others are Suliaman Abubakar; Hajiya Zainab Maina; Bala Mohammed; Sen. Grace Bent; Esther Audu; Sen. Ibok Essien; Alh. Ibrahim Bunu; Adamu Maina Waziri; former Taraba governor, Alhaji Umar Garba; Sen. Abdul Ningi; Vincent Ogbulafor; Taminu Turaki; Mrs. Josephine Anenih.
Other members like Stella Omu; Gen. David Jemibewon; Sen. Tunde Ogbeha; Ebenezer Babatope couldn’t attend but sent their apologies.
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