PDP Crisis:Jonathan,G-7 Governors Draw Battle Line

Baraje said today’s meeting will be the end of any further discussions with the president if he did not respond positively to the demands of the faction.
There were signs of likely deadlock yesterday following a disclosure by a presidential aide that Jonathan is going to insist on his constitutional right to seek re-election in 2015.

One of the key strategists of the president said Jonathan will not waive his right to contest in spite of threats from the aggrieved governors in Baraje’s faction.

To end the crisis in PDP, the G-7 and Baraje faction had tabled five demands before Jonathan and a seven-man peace panel headed by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The conditions are as follows:

• The sack of National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

• Return of party structure to governors in Adamawa, Rivers, Kano, and other states

• Sticking to one -term tenure by the president by foregoing re-election in 2015

• Resolution of NGF and Rivers crises, including the lifting of suspension of Governor Rotimi Amaechi

• Stopping the harassment of governors by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

In an exclusive chat with our correspondent yesterday, Baraje said only two of the demands were partially addressed on Monday.

He said Jonathan and the Tukur-led PDP agreed to reverse the dissolution of the party executives in Adamawa State and the lifting of the suspension of Governor Rotimi Amaechi by the party.

He said although Jonathan agreed that the suspension of Amaechi was illegal and ought to have been reversed, the president added a caveat that the Governor of Rivers State should withdraw all suits in court before he can be reinstated.

But Baraje said his faction insisted on the lifting of the suspension before Amaechi can withdraw all party-related suits.

He said the two parties could not reach a compromise on the recall of Amaechi from suspension.

Asked what his faction will be taking to the peace talks today, Baraje said: “Our demands are still intact, they are not negotiable in any form. We are hoping to complete discussion on Sunday. That session may be the end of any discussion with Jonathan and his group if we do not see any positive action or response. We will not tolerate any further attempt to postpone the peace talks to bid time or allow the situation to drag for long.”

He promised that after today’s meeting “you should expect more action on how to put our group on a sound footing. There will be more political developments in line with our demands.”

Baraje expressed fears that the blockade of the street to the Government House in Port Harcourt was a new issue the G-7 will raise at today’s meeting. He said his faction would make it an issue at the resumption of talks because there was no way the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, would deploy his men to act in such a brazen manner without orders from above.

He said: “You can see that our demands are justified, we are fighting for the future of democracy in Nigeria, we are fighting for Nigerians to prevent them from being victims of repression. They are saying that we should discuss but to our chagrin, they are preventing a governor from entering the Government House.

“Is it even right for the police to invade PDP secretariat and destroy flags? Is it democratic to barricade a road leading to Government House and inhibit the movement of a governor? It is the highest point of impunity, intolerance and an undemocratic action in a democratic setting.This is a way of getting at Amaechi to deny him immunity. The whole world has seen that our demands are justified.”

Baraje lashed out at Tukur led PDP for justifying police action against Amaechi.

He said: “I saw the siege coming; I have been saying that Tukur is the most undemocratic element in a democratic system. You can appreciate from video clips and even eye-witness accounts that the road to the Government House was blocked. We saw a lorry-load of policemen disembarking to block the road but in a blatant display of dishonesty, the Tukur-led faction issued a statement justifying the prevention of Amaechi from entering Government House. It said that there was nothing like that. This is why Tukur’s continuing staying in office is unacceptable to our group.”

But a strategist of the president, who spoke in confidence, said: “The right to seek re-election is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, the president cannot waive it at all. Baraje’s faction is overpricing itself; there is no way Jonathan will give them a commitment not to contest in 2015. It is an issue beyond the peace talks; Nigerians should decide the fate of the president.”

The spokesperson said the demand for the removal of Tukur was a smokescreen because the target is 2015. “They want Jonathan to forget about seeking a second term in office. But they are dancing around it. Jonathan and his team are of the strong opinion that Tukur is not the issue. If the G-7 governors are controlling the party structure in their states, what is their business with the national structure? They want Jonathan to take what they can never accept.”

The source added: “The best they can get, which Jonathan camp will offer, is for the G-7 governors to acknowledge Jonathan’s right to contest with a caveat that there should a level playing field for all aspirants. That is the minimum demand on 2015 that Jonathan and his group can accept.

“Do you know that some of these so-called G-7 governors had been removing elected local government chairmen in their states without recourse to due process or the 1999 Constitution? In Rivers State alone, 13 LGA chairmen had been sacked. Go and crosscheck your facts.”