Politics
PDP crisis: No respite for Atiku, as Bala Mohammed clings to Wike camp
The meeting between Atiku Abubakar and Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State on Tuesday, may not have cemented the gulf between the two camps ahead of the 2023 presidential elections, signals coming from both quarters seem to be suggesting.
Following a letter the governor wrote to the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), revealing underhand activities of the camp of the former Vice President, who is the presidential candidate of the party to undermine his second term bid in the state, the latter had quickly moved in to contain the situation.
But it has turned out that this move might not be enough, as there seems to exist a reasonable suspicion between them, arising from the fallout of the May 2022 primaries in which both contested for the presidential ticket.
It has now emerged that Mohammed, who was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under President Goodluck Jonathan, is not completely out of the influence of his former boss, who is believed to be bearing grudges against the former VP in the way he helped to edge him out.
In fact, it is believed that the camp of Atiku, is actually harbouring the suspicion that the former Minister shunned the attempt to withdraw for Atiku in the run for the primaries, even after being persuaded to do so by some powerful forces from the North, is in line with this development.
This development, is believed to be one of the reasons, Atiku, and his men, are said to be tilting their support towards the All Progressives Congress (APC) propping up its governorship candidate in the state, Abubakar Sadiq, an Air Vice Marshall, who retired recently as the Chief of Air Staff (CAS).
It is this realisation, on the other hand that has also seen Mohammed push further, part of which was his letter to the PDP apparatchik, through which he warned of grave consequences if the Atiku continued to support his opponents, sources close to the two camps, have said.
“What you see is cosmetic, because both camps is supicious of the order despite the meeting. Why do you think Bala didn’t step down for Atiku like Tambuwal did? It is true that Atiku is aligning with the APC because they don’t trust him. They suspect that he is a Jonathan man and being a Jonathan man, means that he has to be watched.
“On his part, Bala knows the threat against him from such an alignment and that is why he is making the move to try and blackmail them. So, what you see in the picture of the two of them being together, is just for the optics. They both know what is on ground. You see the way the governor reacted to the Wike group. He never rejected them, which tells you a lot of things. Just keep your ears to the ground,” one of the sources told Whirlwindnews.
Speaking after the visit of Wike and his group, known as PG-5, on Wednesday, the governor said: “As a loyal member of the party, I felt betrayed, hence the letter to seek for redress. The letter was written with all honesty, sincerity and a deep sense of fidelity. That was why the party invited me to discuss with its presidential flag bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Abuja.
“We discussed extensively and I have gotten some explanations because the letter I wrote was not only written by me, it was written by the PDP family in Bauchi State, the government of Bauchi State, and that is why I was there.”
Speaking on his link with the group, he said: “The Governors of G5, they called themselves ‘Integrity Group’. I’m supposed to be with them but they excommunicated me for some reason best known to them. But I’m highly connected with them, each and every one of them.
“There is no day that I don’t call to speak with each of them. The G-5 governors always look out for others in the Governors Forum, saying ‘we have something in common.’ When you know that you have people behind you, of that stature and that calibre, you feel fulfilled.”
Justice Usman Mallam Na’Abba, of the Kano State High Court, on Monday, reversed himself five days after making an order barring Abdullahi Ganduje National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from parading himself or performing any official function in that capacity.
In vacating the order made ex-parte, following a plea by Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani Barguma, who claimed to be the Chairman and Secretary of the APC Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state, for the suspension of the former Governor of the state from his present job, Na’Abba said he relied on fresh arguments made on the matter.
The fresh applications were brought by Glory Adah, a litigation secretary at the law firm representing the APC boss in a motion ex-parte, accompanied by a 27-paragraph affidavit in support, and a written address dated April 22nd, countering the grounds of his previous orders.
Na’Abba, who adjourned the case to April 30 for the hearing, said: “An order of interim injunction is hereby granted staying the execution of the order of interim injunction contained in the ruling of this court delivered on 17h April 2024 directing parties to maintain status quo ante as at the 15th day of April 2024 in relation to the suspension of the 4th respondent/applicant from the 1st respondent by the Ganduje Ward Executive Committee pending the hearing and determination of the 4th respondent/applicant motion on notice.”
There is no valid order stripping Abdullahi Ganduje of his position of National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), known to the party and therefore, he will continue his duties as prescribed, the National Working Committee (NWC), has insisted, debunking that he is no longer a member of the party by the orders of the courts.
Felix Morka, spokesman of the party, who made this declaration on Wednesday, on Arise Television, maintained that neither Ganduje himself nor the party, was served with the orders, said to have been obtained against the party boss by his ward in Kano State, where he served as a two-term governor between 2015 and 2023.
Insisting that Ganduje’s position remained intact, explained that the ruling party would disregard the said court order affirming Ganduje’s suspension as APC national chairman and only honour the recent Kano Federal High Court ruling ordering a stay of the order.
The declaration is coming on a day Justice AM Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja overturned the said suspension of Ganduje by his ward executives in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of Kano State.
The party boss, had obtained the ruling through another ex-parte motion in which he sought to enforce his fundamental right to a fair hearing, in a suit, in which he also joined the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Department of State Services (DSS ), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and nine other individuals.
Morka told his hosts: “The order issued by the first court was very disturbing, for some reasons. First, the plaintiffs who purportedly filed that action are not recognised members of our party and therefore shouldn’t have the locus standi to invoke the authority of the court to make any such order.
“Secondly, every lawyer in this country is aware that from the Supreme Court up to the NJC, there is this cautiousness that judges don’t make orders that are far-reaching in effect on an ex parte motion or application”
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), did his best to resolve the crisis in the party, but his suggestions for lasting peace was ignored by the National Chairman, Julius Abure.
This much was revealed by Yinusa Tanko, Chief Spokesman for the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, who made the revelation, said that the current crisis rocking the party, could have been prevented if the leadership had taken the advice of the former Governor of Anambra State.
A guest on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels television, on Monday, the former campaign spokesman, said: “His Excellency, Peter Obi, has made a concerted effort in trying to intervene at any point we have this particular issue and trying to improve.
“When the issue of the national convention came up, he (Obi) suggested to the national chairman that because we are bigger now, we need to have a wider consultation: meet with responsible and interested people such as the TUC and NLC, stakeholders, the Obidient group – young generation people who are interested in seeing Nigeria work – meet with leaders who have different ideas that can midwife us into a greater height.
“All of these were the suggestions that he (Obi) made, and not only did he make those suggestions, he practicalised them because he met with the members of the National Assembly. He (Obi) met with the leadership of the party recently in Asaba trying to give them ideas on how he thinks certain things could be done and you could improve our situation but of course, you know how politics is, sometimes, people may be trying to encourage people, but they do something different.
“You can only take a horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink water. So that’s exactly what Peter Obi has done. He has done so greatly to see if we can find a solution to some of the problems we find ourselves.”
Tanko, who argued that Abure had the right to contest the national chairmanship position again, it was only proper that the right things are done by opening the door for more people to be part of the process, noted however that the party boss went outside an initial agreement to have an all-inclusive national convention which ought to start from the ward, local government and state levels before the national level.
He said that the convention held in Nnewi Anambra State that returned Abure as the party’s leader did not conform with that agreement and therefore was not acceptable to everyone within the party.
Asked if the crisis in the party could be a problem for Obi in the next election, Tanko said Obi is a brand of his own and that he and other people would always move with him wherever he went to.
At the convention of the Labour Party held on March 27 in Nnewi, Abure was re-elected as the National Chairman for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates despite strong opposition by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also said none of its officials monitored the convention while the party’s Board of Trustees insisted that Abure’s tenure had expired.
Before the controversial convention, the NLC called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman and the immediate constitution of a caretaker transition committee to organise a legitimate and all-inclusive national convention for the party.
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