Governor Rotimi Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan
The
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and some
Peoples Democratic Party governors may have reached out to President
Goodluck Jonathan, investigations have shown.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that the
governor and his group initiated the peace move after the Chairman of
the PDP Governors’ Forum, Chief Goodswill Akpabio, threatened to flush
out traitors from the ruling party.
It was learnt that the pro-Amaechi group
weighed the implications of continuing the ongoing power struggle with
the President and the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
With the President and Tukur taking over
the Board of Trustees and the National Working Committee of the party,
there is a high possibility that they will soon control the National
Executive Committee.
Investigations showed that the Amaechi
group feared that the ongoing power struggle might result in their
alienation from the party.
The PUNCH had reported on
Thursday that Jonathan, in a bid to divide the ranks of the PDP
governors, had invited six of them to the party’s caucus meeting on
Wednesday night.
Those invited are Ibrahim Shema
(Katsina); Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); Gabriel Suswan (Benue); Theodore Orji
(Abia); Godswill Akpabio (Cross River) and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).
It was gathered that some PDP governors,
who had earlier identified with the Rivers State governor, had already
shifted allegiance to Jonathan.
The President is also said to be in control of all state chapters of the party in the South-South, except Rivers.
Besides the southern chapters, with the
support of the governors of Benue and Plateau states, Jonathan is in
firm control of other state chapters.
It was also learnt that Vice-President Namadi Sambo had mobilised the Kaduna State chapter to support his boss.
Investigations revealed that the Amaechi
group members reasoned that if they were pushed out of the PDP, they
might not be readily accepted in the newly formed All Progressives
Congress.
A top member of the PDP NWC, who pleaded
anonymity, said, “Amaechi and the other governors are reaching out to
the President and other leaders of the party because they fear that they
may lose out in the struggle for the control of the party’s NEC.
“No truce has been reached yet because we feel that they are retreating to re-strategise. We do not want to be caught unawares.
“The truth is that most state chapters are not with the group. If the party’s NEC is held today, they will lose.
“The option of going to the APC is out
of it because the new party is loaded already. If they go there, they
will not command the kind of respect they command in the PDP.”
When asked about the development,
Political Adviser to the President, Ahmed Gulak said, “I am not aware of
that but if they want peace and have made an approach, it is good.
“Everybody must be subject to party
discipline and party supremacy; even Mr. President submits himself to
party discipline and party supremacy.
“If the President submits himself to
party discipline and party supremacy, the governors of PDP must do the
same, the senators of PDP must do the same, every member of PDP should
do the same for sake of peace.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the
PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said, “There is no crisis between the party and
any of its governors. We are on the same page. The formation of PDP
Governors’ Forum has nothing to do with the NGF.
“The PDPGF is meant to project the image
of the party and has nothing to do with the NGF. We are the largest
party in Nigeria, with the highest number of governors. Nothing stops us
from asking our governors to come together and form their own forum to
project the image and performances of the party.
“But I can tell you that there is no conflict between us as a party and any of our governors.”
Attempts to reach the Rivers State
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari,
to speak on the issue failed to yield any result
The state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr.
George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, who earlier said he would speak on the matter,
later changed his mind and declined to make any remark.
Punch
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