Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih has hit back at former Information Minister, Chief Edwin Clark, former Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute, former Minister of Police Affairs, General David Jemibewon and former Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), General Ibrahim Haruna for attacking his person and his efforts at resolving the crisis in the ruling party.
Anenih had in a statement signed by him on Thursday cautioned Chairman of PDP, Bamanga Tukur and others making provocative statements over the crisis. In their own reaction, Clark and the trio of Ameh, Jemibewon,and Haruna had lashed Anenih for saying that members of the new PDP faction have geniune grievances which would be addressed.
In a swift reaction to the attack, Anenih who this time responded through a statementsigned by one of his associates and member of the Nigerian Senators’ Forum, Senator Yisa Braimoh, called on Clark and his group to stop attacking Anenih and his remarkable efforts at resolving the crisis rocking the party.
Clark and the trio of former Senate President,Senator Ameh Ebute, former Minister of Police Affairs, General David Jemibewon and former Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), General Ibrahim Haruna, had under the aegis of Congress for Equality attacked Anenih for admitting that some of the aggrieved PDP governors had genuine grievances, which would be addressed to enable the party come out stronger from the “minor” crisis.
They had declared in a statement at the end of their meeting in Abuja on Thursday that: “Chief Tony Anenih should distance himself from the demands of these so-called ‘aggrieved governors’ and join Tukur to work for the party in truth and spirit.”
But Senator Braimoh, who represented Edo North Senatorial District from 2007 to 2011 on the PDP platform, today faulted Clark and others, saying that “while the position taken by Chief Tony Anenih as Chairman of the BoT of the PDP is statesmanlike and helpful to the process of finding solutions to the crisis, the attitude of Chief Edwin Clark and his friends inthe Congress for Equality only helps to worsen the crisis. They should therefore emulate Chief Anenih.”
According to him: “It is sardonic that while elders of the PDP should spare no effort to put an end to the lingering crisis threatening our party, Chief Clark and his friends who should be voices of moderation are the ones stoking the fire and choosing to be part of the problem rather than the solution. It is, indeed, pathetically sad that they are unconscionably widening the gulf between contending parties.
“They should have known, if they were not being mischievous, that as chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief Anenih is expected to play the role of an impartial arbiter, which does not admit of dissembling. This is what he has appropriately done in the circumstance. His attitude does not detract from his commitment to the unity of the party and the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
“Chief Edwin Clark and his friends should know that they are not helping President Jonathan by taking positions that are capable of worsening the crisis especially when the Presidency and the PDP leadership have initiated peace talks with the aggrieved governors.
“It is patently fraudulent for Chief Clark and co. to present the correct position by Chief Anenih at promoting efforts at reconciliation as tantamount to identifying with the aggrieved governors. This type of shenanigans should not be the stock in trade of people who are supposed to be elder statesmen.”
He recalled that Anenih had, before now, in his speeches at the South-south PDP leaders meeting in Asaba on May 12 and the PDP dinner in the Presidential Villa on May 30, this year, spoken about some of the findings of BoT delegation to state governors on the platform of the party, one of which was the fact that some governors had complaints against the leadership of the party, just as the party had complaints against some of them.
According to Braimoh, “Permit me to quote Anenih’s exact statements in Asaba which were also repeated in Abuja: ‘It is true that some Governors have complaints against the leadership of the party; however, such complaints are not sufficient to warrant any rebellion as speculated. There have also been some complaints against the Governors. In any case, the problems raised are not insurmountable as, indeed, they are already being addressed by the leadership of the Party’.”
“So, why are Clark and his friends trying to make political capital out of a non-issue? Nobody faulted the honest appraisal then. Why are they trying to ridicule themselves by trying to make an issue out of a non-issue?” he asked.
Abusidiqu
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