It gets even worse: Police disrupt meeting of Baraje-led PDP faction in Abuja

by ‘Jola Sotubo

The decision of the Kawu Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to keep pressing forward despite opposition is not without its challenges.

The faction has reported cases of harassment from left and right and the trend does not seem to be stopping as once again the leaders of the “New PDP” have claimed that yet another meeting of theirs was disrupted by the police.

The meeting which held in Abuja reportedly had in attendance the governors who belong to the breakaway faction who converged to discuss with the legislators who were also members of the group.

However, the police have denied interrupting the meeting

The Nation Newspaper reports:

A senior officer said: “We went there to ensure everything was in order as part of our routine surveillance of Asokoro. We do that everyday. We did not storm any place. There’s no way we would arrest governors.”

The policemen came in three cars to the Kano State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro District, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). But the policemen from Asokoro Division failed to stop the meeting. The venue was shut.

The meeting, which started at about 5.30pm, ended at 9.30pm. The Divisional Police Officer, CSP Nnanna Ama, led the policemen. Wearing a T-Shirt with Igbo Day inscription, the police chief left when he and his men could not enter the Lodge.

The policemen returned at about 8.30pm, but they could still not enter the venue. The governors, however, invited the DPO into their meeting, The Nation learnt. The leaders reviewed the crisis in the PDP.

They succeeded in holding two sessions, the first with senators and members of the House of Representatives and the other with governors and top leaders of the New PDP.

Those at the session were Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).

Also at the meeting were ex-governors Bukola Saraki, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Abdullahi Adamu, Timpre Sylvia, and Segun Oni.

House of Representatives member Zakari Mohammed, a former National Youth Leader of PDP, Dr. Bibi Farouk and many others were there.

GovernorsAliyu Wammako of Sokoto and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State were not at the meeting because of “urgent state matters”. They sent their apologies.

Others were Kawu Baraje, Deputy Chairman Sam Sam Jaja; National Secretary Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Vice-Chairman, Northwest, Ibrahim Kazuare.

Speaking with reporters after the meeting Aliyu and Kwankwaso condemned the “invasion”.

Oyinlola said: “We were holding our meeting with the governors when the DPO of Asokoro came in to say that he had instructions to disperse us from holding meeting or else effect our arrest.

“We were surprised that in spite of the fact that the consultations on the resolution of the PDP crisis had been put on hold as a result of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mecca. And it was made known to all Nigerians that we will continue after the pilgrimage break. It is for the continuation of the reconciliation process that we were meeting here only for the DPO to come.

“And we said ‘okay’ if you had instructions that we should not hold the meeting, we were ready to be arrested. We felt that this is the height of impunity for a DPO to have the guts to tell a group of governors to say we cannot meet. I think it was not as bad as this even during the military era.

“We told him that we were ready for arrest and he should go and bring his troops to effect the arrest. So, we continued the meeting and we finished our meeting.”

Asked of the outcome of the meeting, Oyinlola added: “The resolution was that we should continue the meeting that was postponed with the President. That was the essence of this meeting.

Pressed to say if the session discussed the likely defection of the PDP governors to another party, he replied: “We have not come to that.”

 

 

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