New PDP: No Deal Yet With Jonathan

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

The Alhaji Abubakar Baraje-led faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it has not agreed to any peace deal with President Goodluck Jonathan, contrary to reports in the media.

The party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Eze Chukuwuemeka Eze on Wednesday therefore described reports that it has agreed to some deals at the meeting of its leaders with President Jonathan and other leaders of the other faction of PDP at the Presidential villa as tissues of lies.

The breakaway faction of Nigeria’s ruling party said the lies were being peddled by its rival, the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur faction of the party.

It also accused the Tukur faction of the party of insincerity in the ongoing peace talks with some of its recent actions, especially the inauguration of a new executive for the Kano State chapter of PDP.

The new PDP especially disputed claims by Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State that the seven Governors in its rank that were present at the peace accepted that President Jonathan should contest the 2015 presidential election.

“We wish to specifically urge Nigerians and our supporters to ignore the concocted tales of Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of PDP Governors Forum.

“Akpabio lied by claiming that we have accepted that President Jonathan should contest the 2015 presidential election and that most of our demands are being met.

“The fact of the case is that no agreement has been reached on any of the issues we tabled before the President and until we see results, Nigerians should ignore the present efforts by the Tukur camp to deceive them.

“On whether President Jonathan should contest the 2015 presidential election or not, we wish to say that we have a mechanism and system of electing our flag-bearers for any election and until the time to choose the party’s presidential flag-bearer comes, any speculation on this is just a mere academic exercise,” the new PDP said in the statement.

The new PDP also said the inauguration of a new executive for Kano State has vindicated its claim that Alhaji Tukur and his faction are not serious about ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis bedeviling the party.

“ Just few hours after Sunday’s meeting between the progressive Governors and the President, Tukur’s faction once more showed its disdain for peace by unilaterally setting up a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of our Kano chapter.

“This was done without recourse to either the Leader of the party in Kano State, Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso, or other stakeholders of the party from Kano.

“This illegality is a clear violation of our party’s constitution and was hurriedly done just to spite Gov. Kwankwaso, the Party Leader in the state

“We hereby urge our people in Kano State to ignore this illegality as we have set in motion the machinery to organise a proper election as stipulated by our party’s constitution.

“We are still at a loss why Tukur and his cohorts do not want peace to reign in PDP but no matter the odds we are very determined to ensure that peace is restored to our party with the prayers of Nigerians.

“Along this line, we once more appreciate the efforts of our Party Elders to resolve the current crisis bedeviling our party and wish them success irrespective of the evil designs of Tukur’s faction to elongate the crisis for selfish reasons,” said the new PDP.