PDP crisis: Sheath your swords, Jonathan tells Tukur, Gana, others

By Henry Umoru, Abuja

MOVED by the lingering crisis between the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the Professor Jerry Gana led Special National Convention Planning Committee, President Goodluck Jonathan has pleaded with them to sheath their swords and embrace peace  in  the interest of the party.

The President  has also urged Tukur, members of the National Working Committee, NWC  and members of the Convention Planning Committee to go and perfect  arrangements  on the forthcoming national convention of the party slated for August 31st.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that these were part of the resolutions reached at a meeting President Jonathan and Bamanga Tukur had on Thursday night at the  Presidential Villa.

FILE PHOTO: From Right, President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP National Chairman Bamanga Tukur at 61th National Executive Committee of PDP held in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.

At the Thursday meeting,  President Jonathan was said to have  directed Tukur to have a meeting with members of the NWC  on how to have a hitch- free convention.

The Thursday night  meeting was a follow-up to the one the President had with both Tukur and Gana on Tuesday as part of ways to nip in the bud,  disagreements between them  on arrangements  for the mini convention where national officers of the party will  be elected to replace those who resigned following observations by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that the 2012 national Convention was held amidst some irregularities.

Saturday Vanguard also gathered that at the Thursday meeting,  the sharing formula on who to produce Chairmen for the subcommittees of the Convention Committee was also discussed.

Following the tall order from the President,  Tukur immediately  met with the NWC members in Abuja yesterday  afternoon on how to present their demands for chairmanship of the subcommittees to the Gana-led Convention Committee.

The  meeting  discussed those to be nominated for the positions being demanded by the NWC members, even as Tukur and the NWC members are demanding that they be allowed to produce those who will head subcommittees like Publicity, Organising, Welfare, Protocol, Screening and Election.

It will be recalled that Gana’s committee had fixed the convention for August 31 and Tukur met with his members three days after and instructed that all plans concerning the convention be put on hold.

Vanguard