Peace may be far from
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the faction under the chairmanship of
Alhaji Kawu Baraje has insisted it would continue to use the flag, colours,
logo and symbols of the party, claiming that its members are authentic
stakeholders of the party.
This position may
neutralise the euphoria of the mainstream PDP under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur over
the Friday judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Elvis
Chukwu gave an order forbidding members of the Baraje faction from parading
themselves as national officers of the PDP.
The Baraje group,
composed of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven PDP governors,
including Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Babangida
Aliyu of Niger State, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara
State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, has
insisted on the continued usage of the party symbols, flag, name and colours,
just as it has also vowed to issue press statements on its activities. The
group said as members of the PDP, it has every right to use the party’s flag,
colours and symbols.
The group dared the
Tukur-led executive to use state security agencies to harass and intimidate its
supporters.
“They even had the
temerity to describe us and our governors as criminals, warning that the
heavens would fall if we should meet under any platform.
By being so uncouth in
addressing governors duly elected by Nigerians, Tukur and his disciples have
one more vindicated our struggle to flush out these unholy and undemocratic
elements from our party. We are confident that this is one mission we shall
successfully accomplish by the grace of God, not minding the use of state
security agencies to harass and intimidate our people,” the Baraje group said
in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.
The group said it is
planning to receive new five state governors of the PDP who have indicated
interest to join them.
It also said it has
carefully studied Friday’s ruling by the Federal High Court, Abuja, which
declared the National Working Committee (NWC) headed by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as
the authentic leadership of the PDP. It said its members are indifferent
to the warning by the Tukur-led PDP.
The statement signed
by its National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka, stated that, “Apart from
deciding on the Federal High Court ruling and the challenges facing us as a
group, the G7/Stakeholders/NWC Meeting slated for this week is expected to
deliberate on how the new five governors of the PDP that have indicated
interest to join the Baraje leadership will be received into the fold.”
However, it said, “As
a group that has a lot of respect for the judiciary, we have accepted the
ruling in good faith and wish to abide by it. Even so, we have directed our
legal team to appeal the judgment as a matter of urgency as we remain convinced
that we have a good case and are thus determined to ensure that Tukur and his
cohorts are not allowed to hold sway as the leaders of our great party.”
The statement reiterated
that Baraje as its national chairman has convened an emergency meeting of the
G7, Stakeholders and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the new PDP to
exhaustively discuss the new developments and chat the way forward, adding that
there is no going back on its struggle to rescue PDP from the hands of those it
described as usurpers.
“Let us reiterate that
contrary to some insinuations in some quarters reflected in a section of the
media that there is disunity amongst our governors and National Assembly
members because of our current travails, the fact remains that instead of
division, our current travails have strengthened us the more and act as a
unifying factor that has shown us that it is a matter of time that the
undemocratic elements that have seized our party will be dislodged,” the
statement added.
It explained that the
group pities Tukur and his NWC who are “already gloating over their victory.”
Clearly, the Baraje
group’s stance is seen as an affront by the PDP because in less than 24 hours after
the Friday ruling, the mainstream of the party warned that it would not
tolerate any meeting, press statements, utterances under the name, flag and
colour of the PDP by what it called any unauthorized persons or groups.
The PDP, in a
statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said,
“We wish, therefore, to state with all emphasis that any group of persons
parading themselves as leaders of this organ of our party are impostors and
must be treated as criminals by all and sundry.”
It stressed that,
“Henceforth, the leadership of the PDP will no longer tolerate or condone any
meeting, utterances, press statements and/or activities whatsoever under the
name, flag and colour of the PDP by any unauthorized person or group(s) under
any guise.”
But in a swift
reaction, the Baraje group issued a counter statement, signed by its National
Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka, saying, “Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his
loyalists should not celebrate yet as any such celebration would be short-lived
as we are more than ever determined to show him the way out of the exalted
position he is illegally occupying; we insist that we have every right to
continue using the PDP flag, symbol and colours, as we are bonafide members of
the party and, thus, entitled to use them.”
Sources within the
party told Daily Newswatch that the next
few days may not be too rosy in the PDP as its intra party squabble reaches a
climax. There are strong indications that the Tukur-led PDP executive is
insisting on exerting the full pressure on the Baraje group, especially with
its victory at the Abuja Federal High Court, and may clamp down on individuals
and group under the guise of a new PDP. Indeed, the Tukur-led executive
had earlier said that members of the Baraje faction were impostors and must be
treated as criminals.
Indeed, the Abuja
Federal High Court had specifically restrained Atiku, Baraje, Sam Jaja,
Olagunsoye Oyinlola and others from interfering in the activities of the
Tukur-led PDP.
In the same vein, the
court barred Atiku, who is believed to be the backbone of the new PDP, and
their associates or employees from interfering and continued interference in
the duties and functions of Tukur and other national officers of the party
elected at the PDP mini-national convention held on August 31 in Abuja.
The October 18
judgment was informed by a suit filed by Tukur and other members of the
National Working Committee (NWC) of the party against the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Baraje, Jaja, Oyinlola and Atiku.
It was believed by the
Tukur-led PDP executive that if Baraje, Jaja and Oyinlola were not stopped,
INEC may recognize them as national officers of the PDP.
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