Gov Dickson’s Reconciliation Report Sparks Fresh Crisis In PDP

The evolving leadership battle in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has assumed a deeper crisis dimension, with the recommendations by the party’s standing reconciliation committee generating fresh controversy.

The committee led by Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson had, among other things, proposed that a unity national convention be held as soon as possible, precisely not later than June 30, 2017.

But chairman of the national caretaker committee of a faction of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, is questioning the template for the proposed party convention submitted on Tuesday by the Governor Dickson-led committee.

On the contrary, national chairman of the party, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, has expressed delight over most of the recommendations made by the committee, saying they are in line with the thinking of his National Working Committee (NWC).

Rising from a meeting of the NWC yesterday, the Sheriff-led PDP noted that it would come up with a time table for the conduct of congresses in Oyo, Kwara, Sokoto, Lagos and Anambra states where congresses did not take place as captured in the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Dickson had privately presented a programme for the conduct of the national convention to Makarfi in on Tuesday, without media attention, but presented the same report to Senator Sheriff the same day in the open and in the presence of the media.

Miffed by the development, Makarfi yesterday expressed displeasure over the manner the report was presented to him.

He said he had told Dickson that implementing the template the way it was at the moment would go against the judgment of the Court of Appeal which ordered the feuding parties to revert to status quo ante before the botched May 21, 2016 national convention.

Makarfi said, “I am shocked and disappointed that the Governor of Bayelsa made public presentation of a purported report approved or endorsed by us and other stakeholders as reported. He met me yesterday and I pointed out the problems with his proposals; that it will go against even the Court of Appeal judgment.

“At the end, I told him as caretaker committee, whatever is approved by the organs of the party that we represent, we will work with and advised him to revert to his colleagues and other organs, but this is what we are seeing.”

On the other hand, Sheriff who had said on Monday that his camp will make amendments to the recommendations, however, expressed satisfaction with the document.

PDP national secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, commended Dickson and his committee for a very thorough job after receipt and deliberations of the committee report.

He said, “The NWC noted with delight that most of the recommendations of the reconciliation committee are in line with the thinking of the National Working Committee; that in line with recommendation No. 6 of the Reconciliation Committee, the NWC has mandated the Office of National Organising Secretary to quickly come up with the time table for the conduct of congresses in the states of Oyo, Kwara, Sokoto, Lagos and Anambra where congresses did not take place and so captured in the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) notes with delight the support of majority of stakeholders and supporters in its efforts in rebuilding the party and therefore calls on all, especially our governors, to redouble their reunification efforts as the party prepares for its national convention.”

The template released by the Bayelsa governor had called for the formation of a national convention committee that would conduct a national unity convention.

According to the template, Sheriff is expected to select, in consultation with party stakeholders, 12 members of the national convention planning committee.

The standing committee had also urged the national convention planning committee to consider appointing into the planning committee, seven state governors, seven senators, including the deputy Senate President, 12 members of the House of Representatives and six members of the Board of Trustees.

Also to be considered for membership of the convention planning committee, according to Dickson, are national vice chairmen (one per zone), three state chairmen per zone, six serving Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly and six former governors.

Others suggested for inclusion are six former presiding officers of the National Assembly (who are still members of the party), six prominent Women Leaders, six youth leaders of the party and six former ministers of the party.

Governor Dickson also said, as part of the sacrifice to be made in order to reposition the party, the committee was of the view that all national officers who may claim that their tenures still subsist beyond the proposed convention should “relinquish their claim in the interest of the party.”

Meanwhile, Senator Sheriff yesterday received PDP stakeholders from Kaduna State at the headquarters in Abuja.

Sheriff who called on all members of the party to join him in building the PDP said, “I want to make it clear that in the Appeal Court judgment, there is no winner and no loser. Politics needs unity. I pledged to carry everybody along and I am willing to work with everybody. I call on other members of the party to join me in building the party to a greater height.”

The Kaduna PDP members under the aegis of Zone III of the PDP solidarity group who visited Sheriff, said that the Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC) has demonstrated an uncommon respect for the rule of law, “absence of which could have put our party in greater jeopardy.

“We are not unaware that ever since your victory at the temple of justice, there has been surreptitious moves to further divide us into compartments through the guise of a new political outfit”, the group led by David Kajid added.

The Kaduna PDP called on all supporters and aggrieved members to respect the rule of law, just as it also appealed to the NWC led by Sheriff to explore dialogue and peaceful resolution of the issues confronting the party.

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