The declaration on Thursday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which recognised the Peoples Democratic Party faction led by Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has sparked a fresh crisis between the party and the splinter group, the New PDP.
The INEC declaration is contained in its reply to the New PDP, which had requested that the electoral body recognised the Abubakar Baraje-led faction.
But INEC said it only recognised the Tukur-led PDP.
In its reply to the Baraje faction, the commission stated, “You will recall that the commission monitored the national convention and special national convention of the PDP held on March 24, 2012 and August 31, 2013 respectively, at the Eagle Square, Abuja, after notices to the commission.
“An NWC was elected at the two conventions with Tukur as the national chairman. The commission will not withdraw recognition from the leadership of the PDP elected at elections duly monitored by the commission. Please be guided.”
Investigations revealed that the development had paved the way for renewed hostilities between the factions.
Reacting to the INEC declaration and the Lagos High Court ruling, which threw out the splinter party suit, the Tukur-led PDP has likened the failure of the Baraje-led New PDP to get INEC’s recognition and the court’s judgment to “a failed coup d’état”.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Abubakar Jalo, conveyed his faction’s position during an exclusive interview with Punch Newspaper, in Abuja, on Friday.
He stated that what the Baraje-led faction sought to do through “the back door” was in bad taste.
He accused them of claiming to be seeking peace by sitting down with the Bamanga Tukur-led authentic PDP in the day time, but going to the INEC and the court by night to undermine the process.
Jalo said, “If you go to the opposition and form a faction you can succeed, it is normal because the opposition has no government.
“But where there is a sitting President, for someone from the same political party to say he is going to form a faction, if that faction is recognised by INEC, it means that it is a coup d’état against the President; because the President came from that party.
“It is a known fact that factionalisation can only succeed in a party, which is outside power but where a party (which has a sitting President in its fold) is in power and you recognise any other faction of the party; it means the President is no longer in control.”
He stated that as far as his party was concerned, President Goodluck Jonathan was still the President and Dr. Bamanga Tukur remained the duly elected national chairman.
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