PDP NEC: Presidency woos governors, state chairmen
APRIL 25, 2013
PDP National Chairman, Dr Bamanga Tukur
President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party are reaching out to the party’s 23 governors and state chairmen ahead of the PDP National Executive Committee meeting.
Investigations on Wednesday revealed that the leadership of the party had put the meeting on hold until the tussle over the Nigerian Governors’ Forum chairmanship is resolved.
It was reliably gathered that the decision not to hold the NEC meeting was part of moves to avoid a rancorous forum.
The outcome of the ongoing efforts to elect a new chairman, it was also learnt, would determine when the NEC meeting would hold.
The PDP, had in a statement on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said it was ready to hold its NEC meeting.
The party, which said that its NEC would discuss the setting up of standing committees, was however silent on the date the meeting would hold.
It was gathered that a frosty relationship between the party and some governors was responsible for the delay in holding the NEC meeting.
Our correspondent gathered in Abuja on Tuesday that a consultation between the Presidency and the governors as well as state chairmen of the PDP which was aimed at ensuring a rancour-free meeting was responsible for the delay.
A source privy to the moves said, “This is normal in politics; you consult before, during, and after meetings. However, the delay will amount to a waste of efforts if when it is eventually convened we end up having a rancorous session.
“We have to be on the same page; we can’t afford to have governors and chairmen speaking one language and the leader of the party who is our President speaking another.
“This is very important because if you look around, the only people who stand to benefit from any serious crisis in our party are members of the opposition. We can’t afford to let that happen.”
Our correspondent gathered that the Presidency and the leadership of the party were monitoring the situation at the governors’ forum.
A chieftain of the PDP, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that the party might not hold the NEC meeting in the nearest future, if the result of NGF chairmanship election did not favour it.
He said, “To the PDP leadership and the Presidency, the NGF election is a matter of life and death. If Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi returns as the chairman, it means the Presidency and the party have lost control of the forum.
“With Amaechi as the chairman of the NGF, anti-Presidency forces may move for the dissolution of the NWC , which is close to President Jonathan.”
When contacted, Metuh said the party was more united now than before.
Claiming that the party was not reaching out to governors and other members of NEC, he said members of the PDP were now more determined to fortify the party and ensure that it delivers on its current mandate.
Metuh said, “I want to confirm to you that we are not reaching out to anybody; we have one mind; we have one purpose and we are working for the progress of the party.
“There is nobody to be reached; we have only one NEC and we will have the meeting and we will come out with the best decisions.”
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