Guardian

• Govs threaten to move against Tukur

• Leaders  warn on imposition of BoT chair

FAR from being resolved, the rumblings within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the naming of a new Board of Trustees (BoT) chair and the Adamawa State congresses’ crisis have now turned into major threats to the party’s unity.

Indeed, governors elected on the platform of the PDP have asked President Goodluck Jonathan to choose between allowing the outcome of the congresses conducted in Adamawa State to stay and a crisis that would culminate in the removal of the national chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur.

Also, members of the BoT of the party are poised for war in the event of imposition of a new chairman even as members of the National Working Committee (NWC) shut out Tukur from their meeting on Tuesday forcing them to hold an emergency meeting with Jonathan.

The Guardian learnt that because of the tension that had preceded the BoT meeting held in the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday night, Jonathan tried to see how a new chairman of the board could emerge in a peaceful manner.

It turned out that the intervention did not yield the expected result and the members went into the meeting with all the aspirants for the position in attendance and insisting on election.

It was also learnt that the major contenders come from three power blocks in the party namely Jonathan, former President and immediate past chairman of BoT, Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

According to party sources, while former Minister of Works, Tony Anenih enjoys the support of the president, former National Chairman of the party, Ahmadu Ali is being sponsored by Obasanjo and former Senate president, Ken Nnamani, enjoys the support of former vice president and members of the National Assembly who are members of the board.

The Guardian further learnt that having weighed the support bases of the major contenders, the meeting decided that the only way out was to embark on an audit of members of BoT since the tenure of some non-statutory members would have lapsed.

It was at this point that the meeting resolved to use three weeks to carry out an audit of members of the board.

The secretary of BoT, Senator Walid Jibril, confirmed to journalists after the meeting that the board would meet in three weeks.

Meanwhile, there was a mild drama at the national secretariat of the party yesterday as members of the NWC held a meeting without Tukur.

It was learnt that the chairman was not happy with the decision of the NWC reversing the cancellation of the congresses held in Adamawa State last year.

The decision of the NWC members was based on the threat by the governors on the platform of the party to sack the NWC if the cancellation of the congresses was not reversed.

The NWC had dissolved the state executive committee of the party under the chairmanship of Alhaji Umaru Kugama.

It was replaced with a caretaker committee under Umar Damagun. However, the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Sam Sam Jaja and the National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, after a meeting last Tuesday, announced the reversal of the dissolution.

Before the meeting of the NWC on Tuesday, governors on the platform of the party had approached the leadership of the party to reverse it but the national chairman was allegedly not disposed to it.

So, the working committee took advantage of the absence of the chairman last Tuesday to take the decision.

It was learnt that Tukur protested and that led to another meeting of the NWC yesterday without inviting Tukur.

Tukur, however, got wind of another NWC meeting holding yesterday and raced to the secretariat at about 1p.m. but immediately after his arrival, the NWC members left for the Villa to brief the president. Tukur met them on the staircase of Wadata House secretariat of the party but there was no exchange of greetings.

Ten minutes later, Tukur left for the Villa and as at the time of this report, they were yet to return. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, also went with other NWC members and could not be reached as his telephone was switched off.  But sources on the premises of the secretariat told The Guardian that “there is fire on the mountain.” Also yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan began intervening in the crisis.

The protracted crisis rocking the Adamawa State chapter of the PDP has taken another dimension, as the former chairman, Alhaji Mijinyawa Kugama, sacked by the NWC and Chief Joe Madaki elected this week during the state congress organised by the caretaker committee are claiming to be the authentic chairmen in the state.

At separate press conferences yesterday in Yola, both chairmen claimed to be the PDP leaders in the state.

Madaki who commended the party members for voting him into office, promised to abide by the provisions of the party’s constitution and the manifestos.

On the crisis at the national secretariat of PDP concerning Adamawa State, he said that since it was an internal crisis, the constitution of the party should be the overriding factor to resolve the crisis and not individual interest.

“If democracy is about the rule of law and due process, then the squabble in the national secretariat should be carefully looked into, if the administration of our great ruling party is to be taken seriously. The supremacy of the party depends on how best the leaders administer the affairs of the party. What is happening at the national secretariat is beyond Adamawa State,” he stated.

Madaki, who resigned as chairman of the PDP in 2006 to contest for the governorship, said that his return was to rescue the party from total collapse.

He assured the party members that he was in firm control and that they should remain law-abiding and loyal to the party leadership.

Kugama who became chairman after the resignation of Madaki in 2006, apologised to the national leadership of the party for the unlawful action he took that led to his dissolution.

He said that he had fully taken over his office as the NWC had directed him and his executive to return to office.

Kugama maintained that his leadership would remain loyal to the party and that all actions of the state wing must be approved by the party.