The Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday sued for peace in the raging crisis in the party that reached a head last Saturday with the emergence of a splinter group, known as New PDP.
Anenih, in a statement in Abuja, urged all the combatants in the crisis, including PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and his counterpart in the splinter group, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, to avoid making provocative statements that could jeopardise efforts by the party’s leaders and elders to mend the cracks in the PDP.
But as he was suing for peace, Anenih came under fire from a group whose membership includes Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, a former Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), General I.B. Haruna (rtd) and a former Minister of Police Affairs, General David Jemibewon (rtd), which admonished him for being sympathetic to the seven governors of the party, who along with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, formed the New PDP.
Anenih’s statement was issued against the backdrop of the drums of war being beaten by members of the New PDP and those in the party.
Only on Wednesday, Tukur had declared Atiku and others impostors, just as he threatened to initiate the process for the recall of members of the National Assembly who had crossed over to the faction.
Baraje, in a riposte, had described Tukur as a joker who is ignorant about party politics.
The splinter group has also threatened to ask the court to commit Tukur to jail for contempt, in an apparent counter-move to a suit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja by the party seeking the committal of Baraje, his deputy, Dr. Sam Jaja, and the New PDP National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, to prison for the same offence.
Besides, the Osun State chapter of the PDP has threatened to suspend Oyinlola for his role in the factionalisation of the party.
However, Anenih warned in his statement entitled “A Call for Caution”, that the inflammatory statements and recriminations going on could endanger the peace process that the PDP leaders have activated.
He added that making pre-emptive statements amid the reconciliation process was disrespectful to President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership at whose instance the reconciliation efforts were being made.
He said: “Following the walkout staged by some aggrieved members of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the special convention of 31st August, 2013, there have been genuine efforts by the leadership of the party, including the president himself, to reach out and reconcile with the aggrieved members, using the numerous mechanisms for conflict resolution that exist in the party.
“A series of meetings have been held and more are scheduled to hold in the next few days.
“It is unfortunate that while the reconciliation efforts are being made, some of our members are making inflammatory statements, intimidating one another and issuing threats of court actions. Such actions do nothing but harm the efforts at reconciliation.
“Like a good family, we must avoid open confrontation and allow the leadership of the party to effect genuine reconciliation.
“Conflict is not new to the PDP and, as in the past, I am confident that, in spite of the differences, the current one will be resolved, with the party coming out even stronger and more united than ever.
“To make pre-emptive statements while the process of reconciliation is still ongoing is disrespectful not only to the president but also to the party leadership. Such statements undermine the party and the enormous efforts being made under the transformation agenda of Mr. President.
“I therefore call on all members of our great party to exercise restraint throughout this trying period.”
Yesterday’s statement was a follow-up to that of Tuesday in which he explained that the seven governors had genuine grievances that triggered their exit from the special convention and the party would strive to address them to bring about reconciliation in its fold.
He also shed light on why the peace talks with the aggrieved PDP governors that began Sunday night and ended Monday morning could not continue as earlier scheduled.
He said the aggrieved governors had sought for more time to consult widely and as part of the wider consultations, former President Olusegun Obasanjo would today meet with some party leaders on the way forward.
However, reacting yesterday to Anenih’s statement that the aggrieved governors had genuine grievances that the party would address, Clark and his group, in a statement by a former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, called on the BoT chair to disassociate himself from the aggrieved governors.
The group, which met under the aegis of the Centre for Equality and Change, in Abuja, frowned on Anenih’s statement.
“We are at a loss what grievances these governors have. It is obvious that they want Mr. President out mainly because they feel he has taken the turn of a majority ethnic group to govern.
“We urge the Chairman of BoT, Chief Tony Anenih, to remember to tell the so-called aggrieved governors that they owe Nigerians and indeed Mr. President an apology for the way and manner they behaved during the PDP convention.
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