It is now coming to the fore that the Bamanga Tukur-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might resort to wielding the “big stick” against the adamant G-7 and other members of the New PDP if they failed to come to terms with the party after the pending October 7reconciliation meeting.
The G-7 still consist of Babangida Aliyu(Niger), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Murtala Nyako(Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed(Kwara) and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko.
Other prominent leaders who might also be sanctioned include former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and some former governors like Bukola Saraki(Kwara), Shaba Lafiagi (Kwara) and Abdulahhi Adamu (Nasarawa).
The last attempt toward peace in the party was the meeting held on the 15th of September but no collective resolution was achieved as there was no respite on the part of the conflicting factions who are still currently at odds.
However, there are indications that the October 7 meeting might be the last strike that shattered the party’s large umbrella as a dependable source in the PDP told journalists that this could be last chance for the aggrieved members of the party to come to terms with the party’s leadership.
The source stated that the lingering crises in the party is borne were borne out of ambitions for the 2015 general elections.
“Everybody knows that there is no faction within the party. All these so- called crises are driven by the 2015 contest.
“Even, when they met with the President, none of them could pinpoint one tangible area of grievance and the party cannot go ahead like this.
“There must be discipline and a bad precedent should not be allowed. We cannot go on like this. If these people want to go, let them go”, the source revealed.
This is however, a pointer to the possibility of the aggrieved governors being punished in the party if they remained adamant or no agreement is reached after holding the October 7meeting.
It will be recalled that the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, had noted that the party was not afraid of taking disciplinary steps against the members of the splinter group.
Metuh, noted this after briefing journalist in Abuja last when he said: “We have seriously taken into account steps taken as well as the gravity of utterances credited to our brothers, especially in the wake of our last reconciliation meeting.
“We therefore wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that the fact that our leaders have chosen the path of caution and decorum, does not in any way suggest that we are afraid of the consequences of doing otherwise.
“We have only applied wisdom that, yes, we have the strength of a lion but better, when not applied needlessly”.
But the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, said in a recent interview also confirmed that his group is expectant of the pending disciplinary actions from the Tukur-led faction.
He also said that it would be wrong for the action to be taken, wondering how the PDP would want to discipline those considered not to be part of it.
“We won’t say anything until when that happens. We will wait for them to carry out the action before we strike.
“But, who will they summon? Which party would do that? Let us see how that would be done, he declared.
Besides, it was gathered that the chairman of Disciplinary Committee of Tukur-led faction, Dr. Umaru Dikko is currently on sick bed in a London hospital and maybe considered for removal from the post.
It would be recalled that the committee was set up on July 29, when Dikko, who was a former Minister of Transport in the Second Republic, was named its chair.
However, Dikko’s absence has stalled the inauguration of the disciplinary commitee.
There are however, insinuations that the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Uche Secondus who is from the same geo-political zone, the South-South with Tukur will be named the new chair of the committee.
Others as members of the committee are Amalete. J. Turner(Deputy Chairman), Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Shuaib Oyedokun, Nana Kadiri, Hussaini Diraki and Senator Emmanuel Agboti.