By HENRY UMORU
Determined to save the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from its crises, the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has set in motion plans to reconcile two former Chairmen of Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Tony Anenih.
Tukur will also mediate between Obasanjo, ex- Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and other stake holders in Ogun who had disagreement ahead of the 2011 PDP primary election and subsequently the gubernatorial election that eventually led to the emergence of Senator Ibikunle Amosun of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.
Speaking with journalists, in Abuja, yesterday, the PDP boss disclosed that the party will, immediately after the Ramadan fast, begin what he termed a reconciliation tour of the six geo-political zones of the Federation.
According to him, during the tour, the party will use as its ' Bible' the recommendations of Dr. Alex Ekwueme' Committee on peace and reconciliation. The report had recommended that the party should embrace all the members who left the PDP for one reason or the other over the years for peace to reign in the PDP and, by extension, the country.
He explained that the move was designed to drive his programme of reconciliation of all members of the party which was unanimously adopted at the last meeting of the National Executive Committee of the PDP in Abuja.
Tukur, who noted that the membership of the tour will be drawn from the Board of Trustees (BOT), the National Working Committee and the High Powered Advisory Committee (HPAC), inaugurated at Wadata House this year, said that each zone will be made up of nine members comprising three from the BOT, one from the NWC, three from the HPAC and two others.
Alsmost all the state chapters of the party have issues especially after the congresses where various executives emerged.
The party has pre and post congress crises in some states including Ogun where the party is split between Obasanjo and Gbenga Daniel factions, while a raging crisis in Edo is between some members who are asking the Dan Orbih-led party to resign, alleging that he was the reason why the PDP lost the gubernatorial election to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of the ACN.
Also in Anambra State, an Abuja High Court has sacked the Oguebigo-led state executive and ordered a fresh congress, while in Yobe, a High Court has directed the party to use its internal machinery to reconcile the party.
The PDP is also facing problem in Taraba where two serving senators are at war with the state governor over the election of the members of the party state executive offices, claiming that there was no election.
There is senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Taraba North on one hand and those of Senators Abubakar Tutare Umar, Taraba central and Emmanuel Bwacha, Taraba South.
Vanguard Nigeria