Critical stakeholders including governors and founding fathers, on Thursday, moved in to save the souls of the two major political parties in the country embroiled in internal crises, Daily Trust reports.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been enmeshed in numerous crises following the quest by camps and tendencies to hijack the parties structures ahead of 2023 elections.
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While the crisis in the APC revolves around the caretaker committee, chaired by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, the plot to sack the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has been causing ripples in the main opposition party.
The calls for the sack of Buni were triggered by a minority pronouncement of the Supreme Court on the Ondo governorship election, which described Buni’s position as a nullity. For Secondus, the resignation of seven national officers of the party, purportedly induced by a governor, reignited the demand for his resignation.
APC govs back Buni c’ttee
A week after they reportedly had a stormy session over Buni, APC governors threw their weight behind him. Last week, the governors at an emergency meeting convened in Abuja to review issues in the party were sharply divided.
However, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu in a statement, said the Buni-committee has strengthened the party, hence their support for it.
There were concerns over the implications of Buni’s steering of the party’s affairs while still serving as an elected governor of Yobe State, in the light of the Supreme Court judgement.
But the APC governors argued that the recent judgement of Supreme Court on Ondo State governorship election had resolved all issues surrounding the committee and its composition.
The governors called on party members to support the Buni-committee for its management of the affairs of the party, which “has minimised distractions from the task of rebuilding the party.”
The statement reads in part; “We thank the Supreme Court for this landmark judgement, which among others has dealt conclusively with the legality of the APC caretaker committee, its composition and all its decisions.
“Governor Mai Mala Buni was appointed in acting capacity, on a temporary basis, to temporarily carry out and fill in the seat of the national chairman of the party pending the election of a new national chairman.
“This has settled conclusively that the APC committee and its composition is not in conflict with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is consistent with provisions of the Constitution of the APC.”
Makarfi, Lamido, Mark, Ayu, 17 others wade in
A former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; former Senate President, David Mark; Third Republic Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu and 17 others have commenced meetings with critical stakeholders and various organs of the party to find a lasting solution to the current crisis bedeviling the PDP.
The PDP leaders under the aegis of Concerned Elders Forum, in a statement assured all aggrieved stakeholders that they would be thorough, objective and creative in their efforts to resolving all the contentious issues.
Others who signed the statement included; Prof. Jerry Gana, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr. Ibrahim H Dankwambo, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Rt. Hon. Austin Okpara, Senator Biodun Olujimi, among others.
According to the statement, the forum had initiated moves to urgently meet with governors elected on the platform of the party, the Board of Trustees (BoT), the National Working Committee (NWC) and other critical stakeholders.
“In view of recent developments at the National Secretariat of our great party, we have resolved to issue this press statement urging all party organs, party officers and party members to remain calm, faithful and orderly, as we proceed with urgent consultations and initiatives to resolve the contending issues.
“Since we all share the legitimate desires of our loyal members to offer a credible, effective and productive alternative, we have no doubt that we shall soon find positive, appropriate, pragmatic and lasting solutions to the problems facing the party.
“We shall emerge from this crisis stronger, better and more united. This is only a temporary challenge. We assure all Nigerians that the PDP is resolute in providing qualitative leadership, sound programs, effective implementation strategies and hope generating solutions to our national problems,” the elders said.
BoT constitutes another c’ttee
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP had spent hours at a closed doors meeting to close ranks within the party ahead of the party’s national convention in December.
In the meeting, it was gathered that, Governor Wike, who many people accused of destabilising the party denied any hand in the crisis, adding that he has no personal issue with the embattled chairman.
The meeting, which had in attendance prominent party stalwarts that include governors, former Senate Presidents, Bukola Saraki, David Mark and Adolphus Wabara, failed to reach a stance and ended up forming a reconciliation committee to resolve outstanding issues.
Our correspondent gathered that the BoT is interested in making sure that the national chairman maintains his position until December when the national convention is billed to produce new elected members.
My removal will portend ill for PDP – Secondus
Also, the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, has asked organs of the party to resist the temptation of doing away with the current leadership, saying that will portends ills for the party.
Addressing members of the BoT, Secondus pleaded that the misunderstanding among stakeholders in the party should be resolved and acknowledged that those who feel he is not performing are entitled to their own opinion.
Secondus said he barely have four months to leave the post, while calling on all organs of the party to come together to build a strongest party.
“Anything contrary to the smooth running of our party towards the remaining three months will not be good enough for our party.
“Any dislocation will cost an infraction that will result to several unknown issues that we may not be able to come out of,” he said.
According to him, the past three years and eight months he has been in the saddle have been very peaceful, adding that the issues now rocking the party are not new.
Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin called on the leaders of the party to be guided by the crises, which led to the ouster of past chairmen, with a view to drawing sufficient lessons.
In his submission at the meeting, Walid bemoaned the current crisis, regretting that while Nigerians are earnestly looking up to the PDP to rescue the nation from the stranglehold of the ruling APC, the party itself is engulfed in needless squabbles. He called on members to unite ahead of the 2023 elections.
“Please, let us examine why many past national chairmen did not complete their tenure successfully- Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alh. Bamanga Tukur, Alh. Ahmed Mua’zu. Alh. Modu Sheriff and now the deputy national chairman, threatening to resign,” he added, assuring that the party will come OUT of the current crisis stronger.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, immediate past Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki said, “We agreed to set up this committee urgently and within the next 48 hours, they will meet and at the end of that meeting, the country will see where the direction the party is going. The commitment of everybody to attend that meeting and subject themselves to the decision of that meeting shows the interest of everybody.”
Like Saraki, David Mark said the committee will be peopled by respected men and women to be drawn from various leadership layers of the party.
“The committee is made up of the governors, members of the BoT, members of the National Assembly, all the members of the National Working Committee, former governors, former ministers, so that they can holistically resolve the problems.”
While admitting that the committee may not succeed in addressing all issues affecting the party, he expressed optimism that “It will lead to providing a better environment to make us far more united and stronger as a party.
He further clarified that Governor Wike is a statutory member of the BoT.
Nigeria can’t afford one-party state – Atiku
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar on Thursday warned that Nigeria cannot afford a one-party state at this time when citizens were “desperately yearning for change in the face of their miserable living conditions”.
Speaking on the ongoing crisis rocking the PDP, Atiku called on party leaders to unite for the sake of the country and the party.
The former Presidential candidate of the PDP in a statement by Paul Ibe, his Media Adviser also denied any involvement in the crisis rocking the party and called on the leadership of the party to use the constitution to resolve all the problems within their ranks.
The statement said, “The PDP is greater than our individual ambitions. We have to consolidate the party first before we talk about our ambitions. We have to be careful not to play into the hands of the ruling party. We can’t afford a one-party system in Nigeria that denies our people a viable alternative for true change in 2023.”
He also warned that lack of unity and internal cohesion could help the ruling party more than the PDP and that “Those who want Nigerians to continue with the current hardship in the land will be eager to fuel the crisis in the PDP for their political advantage.”
Atiku added, “An opposition that is looked up to as an alternative cannot afford to be fighting itself and lend its hands to the ruling party for its own destruction.”
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