Timeline of the reluctant
journey to APC
on november 27, 2013 at 3:40 am in news
BY CHARLES KUMOLU
August 31: On a day it marked the 15th
anniversary of its formation, the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, was factionalised,
resulting to the formation of a splinter
group known as New PDP by a group of
seven governors. The formation of the
group was hinged on the emergence of a
‘Unity List’ at the special national
convention of PDP held in Abuja, which
allegedly left out the names of some
supporters of the seven governors from
contesting.
September 2: President Goodluck Jonathan
met with the New PDP governors, in a bid
to find a lasting solution to the impasse.
The battle for the soul of the PDP escalated
further with the Baraje chaired faction filing
a lawsuit at a Lagos State High Court
seeking to sack the Tukur-led executive
from office. The plaintiffs in the suit are
factional chairman Baraje, Dr. Sam Sam
Jaja, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the
PDP.
The plaintiffs asked Justice Ganiyu S. Safari
to restrain the Defendants – Tukur, Prince
Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman,
Mrs. Kema Chikwe, Woman Leader, Olisah
Metuh, National Publicity Secretary, and
other persons, who were elected on
Saturday at the party’s mini congress in
Abuja, from parading themselves as
members of the National Executive of the
party.
September 4: PDP Chairman, Bamanga
Tukur, said rebel PDP governors and
lawmakers would lose their seats. Tukur
threatened that, “all persons elected on the
platform of our great party at all levels who
identify with these enemies of the oneness
and greatness of our party shall have their
seats declared vacant as required by law.”
September 7: Security agents deployed
Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, tanks to
seal off the secretariat of New PDP, the
splinter group within the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party. Leaders and governors of
the New PDP had planned to open the
office located at 4, Oyi Street, off Ibrahim
Babangida Way, Maitama District, Abuja, on
September 9.
September 15: President Jonathan met with
seven rebel governors in Abuja with a view
to resolving the crisis rocking the PDP.
September 17: There was uproar at the
House of Representatives with the arrival of
the leader of the break-away faction of the
PDP, Abubakar Baraje, who had requested
earlier to come to the lower chambers on a
courtesy visit. Break-away faction of the
PDP denied ever reaching any agreement
with President Goodluck Jonathan. The
group in a statement by its National
Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
while denying any truce with the Presidency
and the Bamanga Tukur-led faction of the
PDP, also accused Chairman of the PDP
Governors’ Forum and Akwa Ibom State
Governor, Godswill Akpabio, of being “a
serial liar.”
September 20: The chairman of the
Northern States Governor’s Forum and
governor of NigerState, Dr Muazu
Babangida Aliyu, accused the foot soldiers
of President Jonathan of reneging in their
agreement at their last peace meeting.
October 2: Governor Gabriel Suswam of
BenueState urged his NigerState
counterpart, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, to
retrace his steps back to the mainstream
PDP.
October 7: October 7 peace parley
postponed indefinitely. The new PDP, in a
statement issued by it National Publicity
Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the
caucus of the faction of the party took the
decision for a number of reasons.
October 17: Justice Evoh Chukwu of the
Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered
Kawu Baraje, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and Sam
Jaja to stop parading themselves as
national officers of the PDP. Chukwu said
this in his judgment in a suit brought to it,
September 6, by the National Chairman of
the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and 12
others. The Judge further restrained the
Baraje-led new PDP from interfering with
the duties of “Bamanga Tukur-led
leadership of the party”.
November 3: A gathering of the New PDP
was disrupted by the Divisional Police
Officer of Asokoro Division, Nnana Ama, at
the Kano Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro
district of Abuja, alongside his men.
Explaining what transpired, Oyinlola said,
“We were holding our meeting with the
governors when the DPO of Asokoro came
in to say that he had instructions to
disperse us from holding meeting or else
effect arrest.
November 4: Five of the seven aggrieved
governors of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, met with former President Olusegun
Obasanjo at his Abeokuta, OgunState,
residence to deliberate on the crisis rocking
the party. The governors also visited former
Head of Interim National Government, Chief
Ernest Shonekan and ex-defence Minister,
Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd).
November 6: A Court of Appeal in Abuja,
reinstated a former OsunState governor,
Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as the National
Secretary of the PDP.
November 10: The PDP suspended its
former National Secretary now National
Secretary of the new PDP, Olagunsoye
Oyinlola; National Chairman of the
breakaway faction, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje;
Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja
and former Senator Ibrahim Kazaure.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary,
Chief Olisa Metuh said the four were
suspended for alleged anti-party activities,
warning other party members to avoid
having any dealings with the four and
further asking them to report to the party’s
disciplinary committee for appropriate
sanctions.
November 25: Another opportunity for the
resolution of the crisis was lost, as
President Jonathan postponed his meeting
with the G7 governors, citing health
challenges. The meeting, earlier billed for
November 23 at the presidential villa, was
rescheduled for another day.
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