The division in Nigeria’s opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party has widened the money after a faction of the party in Niger state showed their dissatisfaction towards the decisions of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s peace committee today.
Saraki after the meeting of the committee in Niger state had made this press statement:
“Today, the #PDPReconciliation & Strategy Committee held a follow-up meeting with a joint session of party stakeholders and leaders from Niger State. At the meeting, we discussed the need for party members and leaders across board to see this reconciliation process as a way to bring about unity — as we all collectively work to reposition the PDP ahead of the 2023 General Election.”
But a letter sent to 9News Nigeria today shows that the committee has done little to resolving the stalemate.
The letter reads:
The decision of the Saraki led reconciliation committee that the two contestants for the position of party chairmanship in Niger should “step down” for no reason other than satisfying wishful interest is hereby rejected and if need be, might be tested in a court of law to strengthen the party constitution and obedience to rule of law and democratic tenets, the committee which came on board 1 year after the two contestants; Bar Tanko Beji and Engineer Muktar Ahmed have purchased and filled nomination forms, cannot ask persons who have purchased PDP forms to contest positions to step aside for no reason.
The Tanko Beji faction, finds such recommendations as inconceivable, unheard off and cannot stand commonsense nor logic.
It is even worse when it was clear the target was to stop Bar Tanko Beji by all means, if you take into accounts that Engr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Dr. Babangida Aliyu preempted correctly the outcome of all the committee’s meetings weeks before such decision was announced and even “leaked it” before Senator Bukola Saraki and other members of the committee at a meeting.
We stand by our position, and if we are to nominate 100 times, we will nominate Bar. Tanko Beji as our Candidate, again and again. Make no mistake!
The nomination can only be overridden or upheld by a free, fair and transparent congress, not a reconciliation committee or any other committee.
We thank Senator Saraki for his effort and wish him and all other members well.
Yahaya Mohammed Usman
Media office
Tanko Beji Group
