PDP Peace Talks Fail, Caucus Disowns Oyinlola, Others

Oyinlola

Oyinlola: now expelled from PDP

As several peace talks held by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, to resolve the crisis in the party have so far failed, more of such talks have been scheduled for today.

Today’s talks were scheduled between President Goodluck Jonathan and some aggrieved governors on the party’s platform that are now in the faction led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The governors are Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Abdufatah Ahmed (Kwara), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers).

The faction broke away last Saturday during the party’s mini convention in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

As soon as this happened, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a stalwart of the party, flew to Abuja on Sunday to meet with President Jonathan and some of the factional members of the party, including the aggrieved governors.

The Sunday meeting was attended by 16 governors and Chief Tony Anenih, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the mainstream PDP.

Signs that the earlier peace talks had failed as at Monday came to the fore when the aggrieved governors gave some conditions that must be met before the crisis in the party could be resolved.

Among the conditions they gave are that President Jonathan should forget about running for a second term in 2015 and that the National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, should be removed.

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The Atiku faction also went to court to stop Tukur from acting as the party’s chairman. The break-away faction insisted that it is the authentic PDP.

President Jonathan meeting with the aggrieved governors was yet to commence as at the time of filing this report.

In its first reaction to the break up of the party, the Southwest chapter of PDP has dissociated itself from the activities of Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former governor of Osun State and the appointed National Secretary of the Atiku-led faction.

The leadership of the PDP in the Southwest disowned Oyinlola and others in the Atiku faction when they passed a vote of no confidence in Jonathan, Tukur and other leaders of the party.

In a statement, they urged Atiku and others to retrace their steps and return to the mainstream PDP.

The Atiku faction in a statement said it was encouraged by the overwhelming support from party members across the country in its mission to salvage the party. The faction also sent a condolence message to the party’s Adamawa State chapter over a road crash that killed some delegates from that state on Saturday.

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