Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has said that his current efforts that metamorphosed into the new faction is strongly aimed at protecting the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Atiku made this known in a sharp response to comments made by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak when he noted that Atiku is heavily indebted to the party, and was only expected to be protecting it.
Gulak said that the latest crises which came to the fore last Saturday would not bring an end to the PDP contrary to expectations of the opposition.
He noted this while speaking with State House Correspondents yesterday and rebuked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for “instigating the rebellion in the party”.
He also noted that he is surprised that the former vice president has failed to acknowledge that there is no party like PDP.
“He left PDP and went to ACN and he came back to PDP, because he discovered that outside PDP there is no party, so he had to come back and he was even given the waiver to contest the primaries election in 2011. Atiku should be grateful to PDP. Atiku is indebted to PDP and the best way to continue to pay the debt is to protect PDP” Gulak said.
He said despite the challenge of the present crisis in the party, the PDP will emerge stronger and all grievances would be resolved.
“It is all politics and politics is about interests, and we are harmonising, we are talking, we are dialoguing, because the PDP as a family will not allow any of its members to go away, and even the members that want to go away, we will make bold to tell them that out there, there is no party as good as PDP. So it is a matter of dialogue, it is a matter of discussion and God willing these problems will be surmounted.
“It can never be the end of PDP. PDP has been there from 1998, it is only the PDP that has still maintained its name and identity. The other people you are talking about, started as AD, transformed to AC, transformed to ACN, you know they have lost their identity. It is only PDP that has consistently maintained its identity and its name so there is no party that can beat PDP”.
But the spokesman of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Mallam Garba Shehu who responded on his behalf revealed that Atiku stated thus: “that is exactly what I am doing: Protecting the PDP”
Shehu also said Atiku does not dispute the fact that he is indebted to the PDP but that the best way to continue to pay that debt is to protect PDP.
Meanwhile, more insinuations about what led to the creation of the parallel faction of the party by Atiku, and seven governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, broke out and formed, have begun to emerge.
Reliable sources revealed that the reasons Atiku and the seven governors took the decision was in a bid to basically “stall the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015”.
Besides, it was learnt that Atiku who has been fingered as the brain behind the newly-registered Peoples Democratic Movement, (PDM), is determined to go as far as joining forces with others in the party to ensure that Jonathan abides by the said agreement entered into with Northern leaders and governors to run for only a term and shelved interest in 2015 elections.
“Many northern governors elected on the platform of the party, were convinced that powerful forces led by Chief Anthony Anenih were set to field Jonathan as presidential candidate of the PDP in the next election, against an earlier agreement to run for just a term of four years” the source further revealed.
It would be recalled that Governor of Niger State Dr. Babangida Aliyu, challenged President Jonathan in March this year not to make any attempt run for a second term in 2015 as part of the requirement to keep to the agreement with ‘them’ in 2010 not to go for a second term if he (Jonathan) was elected in the 2011 election.
But it was learnt that part of the major plans of the new faction in registering the PDM is to “provide a fallback position to be thrown out of the PDP as a result of the rebellion, because most of them would want to remain in the PDP until it is heavily disintegrate.
A source stated: “What the Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu exposed last March is nothing but the whole truth. Jonathan pleaded with them to support him only for one term and his decision to run is against that gentleman agreement and that is what is causing the ripples in the party.
“It is true that what has been happening in the PDP lately has given Atiku and other stakeholders in the country a serious cause for concern. It is clear to all of these people that the President is desperately plotting to return in 2015 against an earlier agreement he had with some northern leaders to run for a single term.
“Atiku even met with the President just after the election and he told him he would not run again. I can tell you that it was that assurance that prevented Atiku from challenging Jonathan’s emergence as the candidate of the PDP in the 2011 primaries”, the source revealed.
It was learnt that Atiku, is ready to take up the challenge of fighting the forces trying to impose Jonathan on the party for the second term.
The source noted that the move against Jonathan’s re-election was a popular decision being backed by many northern governors and political leaders in the PDP and that many other governors might jump on the band wagon in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the Baraje-led faction, yesterday, have sought a motion ex-parte asking for leave to serve the defendants outside Lagos jurisdiction.
The parallel PDP made he move in a bid to assert its influence on the activities of the party, when it asked a Lagos High Court not to recognize Tukur and three new officers elected at the Special Convention of the party last Saturday.
The three officers; Prince Uche Secondus, Kema Chikwe and Mr. Olisa Metuh emerged from the convention, where the six states from the Northhad walk aout last Saturday;
Secondus was elected as Deputy National Chairman, Chikwe as National Women Leader while Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of the Tukur faction.
But Abubakar Baraje, Sam Sam Jaja and Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who were unvealed by leaders of the parallel PDP told the Court, to restrain Tukur and the other officers from parading themselves as members of the NEC of the PDP.
Justice Safari granted the plaintiffs leave to serve the defendants in their various locations, and has adjourned the matter till next Monday to take a decision on who should be regarded as authentic office holders of the PDP.
The court held that “there was no urgency to warrant the granting of the prayer sought by the plaintiffs and ordered the maintenance of the status quo pending the hearing of the motion on notice”.
Meanwhile, the National Working Committee, NWC at the end of its first meeting after theSaturday election where some of the former members were elected and new ones brought in, said that consultations were on going at the highest level of the party as part of moves to nip in the bud, the latest crisis in the party.
However, the new National Publicity Secretary of the Bamanga Tukur-led faction of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh and other newly elected members insist that consultation is ongoing to solve the party’s current crises when held the first meeting with Tukur and assumed office.
“Consultations is going on at the highest level of this party, the President, national chairman of our party, chairman, board of trustees, PDP governors are meeting on this and their discussions so far have been very encouraging, at the appropriate time, we will communicate to the media the decisions they arrange, the meeting is continuing on Tuesday (today) and once the meeting is over, whatever the outcome is, we will communicate immediately to the press and we will inform you the reasons behind the decisions, but for now consultations are going on at the highest level of the party”, Metuh said.