From Vanguard
The Presidency, yesterday,
dismissed as empty boast the threat by five Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
governors to bury the party, if they are unable to resolve the crisis in the
party.
The five Northern governors —
Sule Lamido, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Wamakko, Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu and Murtala
Nyako — who have been meeting with political stakeholders in the country, had
threatened on Monday to help bury the PDP if their efforts to solve its
problems flopped.
Although Nyako was not present at
the meeting with Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, he
immediately released a statement aligning position with the four other
governors, saying that it was time something was done to salvage the party or
bury it.
Jonathan
The governor, who spoke through
his Chief Press Secretary, Sajoh Ahmed, noted: “We have held consultations with
former heads of state on the need for them and other major stakeholders to save
the party from dying.
“We will continue to make our
efforts to save the party. But if our efforts do not work, we have no
alternative than to fold our arms, and see PDP die and help in burying it.”
But firing back at the governors,
Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Alhaji
Ahmed Gulak, said the five governors were incapable of bringing down the PDP.
Gulak, who also accused the
governors of trying to force out President Jonathan, said, however, that they
would fail, as their agenda was not in the interest of the generality of
Nigerians.
The Presidential aide also said
that all those working with the five governors would also fail in their selfish
bid to unseat Jonathan because Nigerians were wiser than all of them.
The political adviser said: “They
(the governors) cannot bury PDP, as the party is above them.
“Their agenda is not to bury PDP
but to get President Goodluck Jonathan out but they will certainly fail. I can
assure you that all those in that group and sharing their agenda will also fail
woefully, as Nigerians are wiser,” the Presidential adviser said.
The governors, who had earlier
met with Governor Rotimi Amaechi in Port Harcourt last week, during which they
narrowly escaped being injured by irate political demonstrators, later moved to
the country home of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State,
and had a lengthy discussion with him.
Although their meeting with
Obasanjo coincided with that of President Jonathan, who came out to say that he
visited the former leader as part of his condolence visit to his media aide,
Reuben Abati, over the demise of his mother, the details of what the four
governors discussed with Obasanjo have not been made public barely a week
after.
The motive of the governors
notwithstanding, former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, on Monday
described them as ‘real patriots’ and poured encomiums on them for taking the
trouble to find answers to the nation’s crises.
Babangida said: “I just want to
commend the governors and some of their colleagues. I am very impressed because
they see the problems of this country as their problems and they have taken the
right steps to make sure that they consult widely in trying to find solutions
to some of the nagging problems. It shows they are real patriots and I am very
happy with them.”
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