Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, yesterday revealed why it has become difficult to reconcile all the feuding parties in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Accorind to him, external forces are deliberately frustrating reconciliation moves targeted at genuine process of resolution of the crisis.
Warning them to steer clear from the party, he said that the forces had meddled in and aggravated the dispute between the President Goodluck Jonathan and the G7 rebel governors through various write-ups in newspapers designed to cause animosity and make reconciliation difficult.
“We must not allow people who are outside the party to get so enmeshed in the problem that is not their own and in the process kill that which we want to build.
“I need to draw your attention to this because I have been reading a lot of articles that they planted to create more animosity and anarchy that will make reconciliation difficult,” he said.
Aliyu made the accusation while receiving the Brigade Commander, 31 Field Artillery Brigade, Nigerian Army, Minna, Maj.- Gen. Hassan Salihu.
He noted that the PDP had the capacity to resolve its differences without outside interference.
“I am beginning to see a sign as if some people don’t want reconciliation to take place through the type of articles they are planting in newspapers because what is happening is an internal affair of the PDP,” Aliyu said.
Aliyu added that the major cause of the struggle by the seven aggrieved governors, which resulted in their walking out of the August 31 Special National Convention in Abuja, was the desire to build a democratic culture in the country.
“The whole essence is about democracy and morality. Democracy may not necessarily flourish. Morality means that if you make an agreement whether privately or publicly we must learn to keep it,” he added.
Commending the military for paying adequate attention to the training of its officers, the governor noted that of all security agencies, the military has the most educated personnel.
“We also need to pay serious attention to training our children as military or civilians, and in some societies children are given military training. That is why when they called for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, we appealed that it should be one-and-a halfyears with six months of military training.”
Speaking earlier, Salihu told the governor that the brigade was training its officers and men on how to address security challenges, while thanking the state government for the support given to the military and other security organisations in the state.
Meanwhile, the factional crisis in the PDP reared its head yesterday on the floor of the Senate as two senators from the two factions struggled for supremacy.
The face-off was triggered by the former governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje, who while paying tribute to the late Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, described himself as a member of the New PDP.
Goje said he worked with the deceased in what he described as the “old PDP,” when both of them were governors and ministers.
The former governor caused an uproar in the Senate following his repeated comment that he belonged to the New PDP under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Baraje.
This was as opposition senators joined Goje to drum and chorus the “new PDP, new PDP, new PDP,” in such a rancorous manner that the entire Senate was temporarily enveloped in confusion as the atmosphere became rowdy.
At this stage, Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) clinging the Senate order rule book in his left hand shouted, “Point of order, point of order.”
While still shouting to be recognised by the Senate President, Adeyemi intermittently said: “This is a hallowed chamber. Don’t let us reduce it to a market square.”
When he was eventually recognised, Adeyemi, citing Order 53 (7) from the Senate Standing Rules, argued that the remark of Goje that he belonged to the new PDP was offensive.
He described as regrettable that Goje, a former governor and sitting senator on the platform of PDP, could claim to belong to another platform, describing the utterance as unprofessional.
In the midst of rising tension in the chamber, Mark ruled that it was impossible for anyone to bring any issue bothering on who is chairman of the PDP or not to the floor of the Senate, emphasising that such debate would never take place in the parliament.
Mark noted that PDP remained one united party and insisted that since Goje admitted that he was a member of the new PDP, there was no cause for alarm, stressing that the party remained one.
Also, an Ikeja High Court yesterday fixed October 10 to deliver its ruling on the preliminary objection filed by the PDP National Chairman, AlhajiBamangaTukur, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain a suit filed by the Baraje faction of the party.
The trial judge, Justice OludotunAdefope-Okojie, fixed the date after hearing arguments from parties.
The other claimants in the suit are Sam Jaja and Prince OlagunsoyeOyin lola.
The faction had asked the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining Tukur and three others, from parading themselves as PDP National Executive Committee members.
Joined alongside Tukur as defendants are: Mr. UcheSecondus, Deputy National Chairman; KemaChikwe, Women Leader and Chief OlisaMetuh, National Publicity Secretary.
Tukur and his co-defendants had on September 18, asked the court to strike out the suit for want of jurisdiction.
The defendants had also argued that the writs of summons did not comply with the mandatory requirements of Section 97 of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act because they were not signed.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the claimants’ counsel, Mr. Robert Emukpaeruo, urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objection.
Emukpaeruo argued that the court had jurisdiction to entertain the matter, stressing that the judgement of the court can be enforced against the defendants.
According to him, as long as a court can enforce its orders, the court can exercise jurisdiction.
“The mere fact that the defendants are not resident in Lagos State does not mean that the court does not have jurisdiction over the matter,” he stated.
Emukpaeruo said the writ of summons was endorsed for service outside Lagos State, stressing that the endorsements had brought the defendants within the jurisdiction of the court.
Responding, Tukur’s counsel, Dr. AmaechiNwaiwu, SAN, argued that Emukpaeruo submissions on the issue of jurisdiction were misconceived.
“The issue of physical effectiveness is a post judgement matter. The main issue is the competence of your lordship to adjudicate on this matter,” Nwaiwu said.
He argued that the writs of summons were not properly endorsed under the Sheriff and Civil Process Act.
Mr. OnyechiIkpeazu (SAN), counsel for Secondus, Chikwe and Metuh also adopted Nwaiwu’s submissions.
He urged the court to dismiss the suit, stressing that its jurisdiction was circumscribed by law.
In another development, Senator Magnus Abe representing Rivers South East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has stated that the current crisis rocking the PDP was self-inflicted by the party’s leadership, while he described the National Chairman of the PDP as the major problem of the party, following his refusal to obey laid down rules and guidelines that govern the affairs of the party.
Abe, who spoke with journalists in his Port Harcourt home on Wednesday, said: “The division started because members don’t like what BamangaTukur is doing in the party. His disregard for party rules, execution of party programmes and actions; and also, his unilateral injection of certain clauses into the party constitution without due consultation are unacceptable impunity,” he said.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), also said senators were not thinking of any impeachment moves, as there has been no justification for such action and that the Senate remains a united house under its President, David Mark.
