Date: 2015-07-04

The Progressives Governors' Forum on Friday failed to resolve the crisis rocking the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, over leadership positions in the National Assembly.

The party's National Executive Committee, which met in Abuja early Friday, had mandated the party's 22 governors to meet with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in a bid to resolve the dispute between the party's rival groups.

The Rochas Okorocha-led PGF met for the first time with feuding party members in the National Assembly in Abuja on Friday.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, who are the APC's preferred candidates for the positions of the Senate President and Speaker respectively, attended the meeting.

p<>The peace moves of the governors failed because the rival groups could not agree on the peace proposals of some party leaders as of the time the meeting was adjourned till Saturday (today)

The meeting, which was held at the Imo State Governor's Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, was sequel to a directive by the party's National Executive Committee for the governors to work out modalities to end the crisis at its meeting on Friday.

Saturday Punch learnt that the governors had told the party's chieftains that the crisis should be left for them to resolve.

A National Assembly official, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said that on the request of the APC's governors, the NEC did not bother to discuss the issue at its meeting on Friday.

The source said, "The crisis on the sharing of leadership seats at the National Assembly did not receive any frontal attention at the NEC against expectations. What happened was that, on the request of the governors, the issue was referred to them to discuss and resolve."

Investigations showed that the governors and the APC lawmakers at their meeting considered proposals by some party chieftains on ways to end the crisis.

The proposals, it was learnt, included a plan that those who lost out in the race for the National Assembly leadership should be allowed to chair their preferred committees.

A top member of the party, who attended the meeting said, "Also under consideration is another proposal to ask Dogara and Saraki to share the leadership positions between 'party loyalists' and those who defied it."

It was gathered that the rival groups had not agreed on terms for truce as of the time the meeting was adjourned till Saturday.

It was learnt that Dogara and Saraki were not favourably disposed to the proposal, particularly sharing of leadership positions, which had already been announced in the Senate.

But another member, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said that there were positive signs that the issues would soon be resolved.

The party leader said, "The party leadership took cognizance of the role some of the governors played to get us to where we are.

"We thought it wise to throw the matter back to them to let them find a solution to it. In politics, you don’t ignore anyone and for a party like ours, you have to accommodate as many of the power blocks as you can in order to have peace." According to him, the party is slowly coming to terms with the reality that the deed has been done, hence the need to find a way of accommodating loyal party members.

Okorocha, who spoke to newsmen after the meeting, said efforts were being made to resolve the dispute to enable the party to forge ahead with its promise to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians. Okorocha said, "You will not see more disagreements as against the past, peace has come to our party.

"Both Senate President (Bukola Saraki), and the Speaker; (Yakubu Dogara), Senator Ahmed Lawan and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, will work together for the unity and progress of our party. "By next week, we will give you people the details of the outcome of this peace meeting, but so far so good, all things being equal.

"The party has accepted the leadership of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. To God be the glory." Speaking in a similar vein, his Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, expressed confidence that the crisis would have become a thing of the past by next week.

He said, "When you have some little disagreement among friends, the only way to solve them is to talk and we have started the process. The fact that the two sides are present, the foundation for peace is there.

If people refuse to see eye to eye or refuse to sit together then you can’t even discuss and the fact that they all turned up and we listened to all the sides and we have a couple of suggestions; we have agreed to continue with the conversation and we are meeting again tomorrow (Saturday) night here again. "So, I believe we are making some progress, not that everything is signed, sealed and delivered."

Earlier, Saturday Punnch correspondent learnt that the National Executive Committee meeting did not produce the expected fireworks. This, it was learnt, was largely because of the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari and the absence of those who had raised issues with the party's National Working Committee.

President Muhammadu Buhari, at the NEC meeting, had appealed to warring factions within the party to sheathe their swords in the interest of the party and the nation. In his opening remarks, Buhari recalled the journey of opposition political parties in the country before three of them merged to form the APC.

He explained that his respect for party supremacy compelled him to attend the NEC and Board of Trustees' meetings when he was invited. Buhari said, "I have appealed to you all through our chairman, the leadership of our party, through their Excellencies, our governors, through our senators and House of Representatives (members) that the APC must not disappoint its constituency of our nation state.

"Let us not throw this success to the wind. Let us, as members of the APC, no matter our personal differences, get together and meet the mandate given to us by this country. This is my personal appeal. In the name of God, no matter your personal interests and your ambition, please keep it to your heart and in your pocket, let APC work and let the system work and let us have a government that will earn the respect of our constituencies.

"My problem is helping the constituencies. I cannot confine myself to the cage within these our quarrels and refuse to participate in meetings of NEC and eventually BoT because I respect the superiority of the party." In an interview with journalists after the meeting, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki said the party was at the verge of resolving all the issues.

"You can see the smiles on everybody's face; it is a good way to go." Those who attended the meeting included President Buhari; Governors Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe; Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun; Simon Lalong, Plateau; Abubakar Sani Bello, Niger; Aminu Bello Masari, Katsina; Sen. Bindow Jibrilla, Adamawa; Akinwumi Ambode, Lagos; Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Sokoto; Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Kano; Sen. Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi; Adams Oshiomhole, Edo; Rochas Okorocha, Imo; and Abdul'aziz Yari, Zamfara.

Others were: Deputy Governors Nuhu Gidado, Bauchi; Ahmad Zanna Mustapha, Borno; Silas Agara, Nassarawa; Saraki; Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Ahmed Lawal; Femi Gbajabiamila; Senator Ali Ndume; Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah; Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Suleman Lasun; and Odigie-Oyegun.

But Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the party's national leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, and the former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, were absent from the meeting.

It was learnt that the process of reconciling aggrieved members of the party could not be advanced a step further due in part to the absence of these party leaders. Although no official reason was given for their absence, it was learnt that Tinubu was in Abuja, as of the time of the meeting.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while addressing journalists after the meeting, said he did not know why Tinubu was not in attendance. He, however, added that he was not a member of the party's executive. Mohammed explained that Tinubu was free to attend or not to attend the meeting.

The publicity secretary however explained that the NEC mandated the party's governors to hold further meetings with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in a bid to resolve the crisis.

Mohammed said, "Also important is the fact that the NEC has also provided an enabling environment to look into ways of resolving the National Assembly logjam and I know that today, the governors would be meeting with both the Speaker and the Senate President."

He equally explained that all those in attendance agreed on two things, the supremacy of the party and the need for the party to deliver on its promises to the Nigerian people.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the NEC meeting, Oshiomhole said party members came out of the meeting better than they went in. He said each member of the party came out with a better understanding of the challenges facing the party and the need to resolve it in order to fulfil its promises to the Nigerian people.

Oshiomhole said, "I am happy with what has happened today, those who expected us to come out of the meeting wearing long faces have been disappointed. God has crowned our efforts with success. Of course, like any human society, we are not perfect. We can’t be perfect because we are human.

In all cases, we uphold the supremacy of the party, the fact that he (President Muhammadu Buhari) came to the party secretariat is his own demonstration of respect for party supremacy.

"Nigerians are expecting that we will govern as one united party to deliver. We restated our confidence in the leadership of the party. The good thing about politics is that you allow the fool to be foolish and the intelligent person to be intelligent (and) at the end of the day, in the process of discussions, you come out with a position."

Also, Okorocha said, "Many people think that there will be problems between APC members at this meeting. But I am assuring Nigerians that we have met and discussed what affects all of us and we have understood one another.

"We have also reiterated our support and loyalty to our leadership. We are also going to meet on the issue of the National Assembly crisis and it will be resolved amicably. So, I can confidently say that the crisis facing the party is almost over now."

The President arrived the party's National Headquarters at 11am.

He was received by the party's National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; in company of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and other members of the party's National Working Committee..

"I am not going to be intimidated. The only way we can work together is to check the ills of the past. The right thing must be done. Those who have stolen the resources of the state must be made to account for them."