By Abiola Olawale
The rivalry between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has continued to tear the party apart.
This is as the meeting of the PDP’s Caucus in the House of Representatives reportedly ended in a commotion with the lawmakers sharply divided along the lines of those in support of the party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damgun, and those against his continued stay in office.
The New Diplomat reports that over 60 lawmakers under the auspices of the Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere had called for the resignation of the acting PDP national chairman and for someone from the North-central zone to take the position.
Following the development the leader of the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, summoned an emergency meeting.
The meeting which was held on Tuesday at House Committee Room 301 in the National Assembly Complex Abuja, was aimed at passing a vote of confidence on Damagun by lawmakers loyal to the Minister of FCT, ahead of Thursday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the opposition party.
However, an insider knowledgeable on the meeting said the agenda was not successful as the lawmakers were divided.
The source said: “We are glad that the plan of the pro-Wike group supporting Damagun fell like a pack of cards as we refused all entreaties to perpetuate illegality and stoking of crisis in the party. Our position remains that Damagun must go for someone from North-central to take over and complete Ayu’s tenure.
“Our party needs total overhaul and reformation. We currently have in the PDP a national leadership that is in bed with the APC and is working extremely hard to hand over the party to the APC. This is quite shameful and disheartening. But we won’t fold our hands and let that happen. We are aside other demands insisting on 100 percent formation of caretaker PDP executive list at all levels without any tampering or inclusion of new names outside the earlier resolution that members of the expiring expos should act as caretakers for 3 months pending the conduct of the substantive election. Our party will not be overtaken by APC, we are here to serve the Nigerian people not to the whims and caprices of some selfish politicians.”
Meanwhile, addressing the journalist after the meeting, Chinda, a well-known loyalist of Wike said the lawmakers jointly resolved that all party members and other stakeholders should immediately withdraw all cases pending in court, hindering the party from producing a substantive national chairman.
The minority leader also said the caucus gave the federal government a three-month ultimatum to take measures to address and end the insecurity in the country.
Chinda said: “We have just concluded the third meeting of the People’s Democratic Party caucus in the 10th Assembly and have resolved to tell all of us and the world that we are one and remained United, indivisible, committed and out to perform her duty as the watchdog on behalf of the Nigerian people.
“In the same vein, we x-rayed the security situation in the country and resolved that we can no longer accept the situation where Nigeria is today tagged one life, one minute silence.
“The government is therefore called upon to immediately take steps to ensure that the security situation in the country is normalized and the caucus has also given a three-month ultimatum for government to normalize the security situation in our country.
“After three months, the caucus will take further steps to sensitize and mobilize Nigerians to perhaps take their security into their own hands.
“The House caucus also agreed to call on all party caucuses, the Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee, and the National Working Committee of the party to embark on reconciliation measures to resolve all litigation that is pending and has hindered the party in any way whatsoever from having a substantive national chairman.
“We call on our leaders in the PDP to continue to demonstrate unconditional loyalty to the party and ensure that the party reclaims her pride of place where she enjoys the position of the largest party in Africa and to take back the Aso Villa which is supposed to be our birth right.
“For us, we are going back as we resume the session to commence a strong, virile, and purpose-driven opposition to give the people a voice in the parliament.
“We also called on the Senate Leadership to please take steps to recall our colleague and senior brother, a veteran politician, a parliamentarian per excellence, Abdul Ningi.”
