Jonathan Draws Battle Line With New PDP and G-7 Governors

President Goodluck Jonathan and seven aggrieved New Peoples Democratic Party governors will today hold a crucial meeting that will determine the future of the factionalised ruling party. Already, there are strong indications that the peace meeting may end in a stalemate and turn the politicians to go for each others blood in the days ahead.

The first indication came from the Presidency on Friday, when it said the President would not meet any of the demands of the aggrieved governors and other members of the New PDP.

Also sounding unyielding, National Chairman of New PDP, Mr. Kawu Baraje, on Friday, said the aggrieved leaders of the party and the G-7 governors would give Jonathan a final deadline.

Their demands include the sacking of the National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur; sticking to one-term tenure by the President by foregoing seeking re-election in 2015, and stopping the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from further investigating the governors.

Others are resolution of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum crisis and the recall of the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, from suspension.

But the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, in an interview with PUNCH on Friday, insisted that Jonathan would not meet the governors’ demands.

Gulak said the decision was based on the fact that the demands were unconstitutional and the President would not identify with anything strange to the nation’s extant laws.

The presidential aide added that it was wrong for any individual or group to give the President conditions.

“Please note that no individual or group can give the President conditions... all the conditions are strange to the extant laws of this country. I have said it before and I don’t want to be repeating myself on this issue because our position has not changed on the matter. The conditions are unconstitutional. The President will not meet them.”

But one of the aggrieved G-7 governors said they would not abandon Amaechi, who they said the President would want them to abandon in the face of intimidation.

The governor said, “We won’t abandon any of us, including Amaechi. That is a promise from me and my colleagues. We won’t yield to blackmail on this matter. We don’t want to be dubbed as betrayers on this matter because it is a collective matter.”