PDP disciplinary committee: Nyako, Amaechi dare Tukur

Date Posted: 28/09/2013

 

Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, and his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, have dismissed speculations that they may be compelled to face the Peoples Democratic Party’s disciplinary committee should they fail to honour the October 7, 2013, meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.

In separate telephone interviews with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, the governors said threats and intimidation could not make them abandon the cause of returning the party to the path of decency.

The aggrieved governors, some party leaders and the President held a meeting on September 15, 2013, where all parties agreed to continue discussions and refrain from making public statements that could further inflame passions.

It was also agreed that other issues which had not been resolved would be left for further deliberations at a meeting slated for October 7, 2013.

‘Rebel’ governors, who attended the meeting were Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Rabiu Kwankwanso(Kano), and Babangida Aliyu(Niger).

Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko was the only governor who has identified with the group but was not at the meeting.

Those who represented the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP were: Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) Idris Wada (Kogi) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River).

President Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, were also at the meeting.

Apart from the governors, other members of the “New” PDP at the meeting were: former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and former governors Abdulahi Adamu (Nasarawa) Bukola Saraki (Kwara) and Shaba Lafiagi (Kwara).

But no sooner had the meeting ended than supporters of parties to the dispute reneged on the ceasefire agreement and began a fresh round of verbal exchanges.

Reacting to this issue, Nyako said the arm-twisting tactics being employed by the Tukur-led PDP was bound to fail.

This, he said, was because intimidation in situations like this would be counterproductive at the end of the day.

Nyako, who spoke through his Director of Press and Public Relations, Ahmad Sajo, said: “Our position in Adamawa has always been that you cannot negotiate with someone by intimidating him.

“You try to create an understanding but they are not exploiting this option. All I am saying is that, let us wait and see.”

He accused the Tukur-led PDP of behaving as if other options do not exist.

He stated, “They are behaving as if Nigeria is PDP and PDP is Nigeria, that is the impression they want to give.”

When contacted, Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, said: “No comments.”

On his part, Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, said it was better for the PDP to use the carrot rather than the stick approach.

He explained that it was wrong for the party to threaten to discipline the aggrieved governors if they failed to show up at the October 7, 2013 meeting scheduled by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He stated that though the aggrieved governors, including Amaechi, were ready to attend the meeting with the President, they would not be coerced into doing so.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has insisted that the alleged one term agreement claimed to have been entered into by President Goodluck Jonathan only exists in the imagination of Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday.

He was reacting to a fresh statement credited to the governor where Aliyu said that it was moral to stick to agreement.

 

SOURCE: PUNCH