As the October 7 date for the planned meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors came and passed without it holding, the battle for the soul of the party appears far from over, reports JOHN ALECHENU of Punch

If events of the last few weeks are anything to go by, the decision to postpone the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors; appears to have opened up a fresh vista of the continued mistrust which has dogged relations between the feuding parties.

None of the parties to the dispute had shown any sign of willingness to shift ground as the deadline for the make-or- break meeting approached.

The exchange of verbal missiles between supporters of the President and members of the New PDP pointed to a growing air of mistrust.

A decision by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and seven aggrieved governors to stage a walkout from the PDP convention on Friday, August 31, to set up a parallel party structure, revealed the deep seated animosity between some members of the party and President Jonathan's supporters.

Since this incident, several meetings have been held to break the deadlock. Some of these meetings which had in attendance party elders like: former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, and the Chairman of the party's Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, ended without a breakthrough.

The decision by the President Jonathan backed the PDP not to recognise the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum has not helped matters.

Agreements reportedly entered into after the last meeting are yet to be implemented. For example, it was agreed that the control of the party structure at the state level would be given to governors. This is yet to happen.

As a direct fallout of the meeting, the Tukur-led PDP suspended its decision to name a caretaker committee for Kano following a directive from the Presidency.

The party leadership had a rethink soon after it became apparent that Kwankwaso was not prepared to back down.

Of the seven aggrieved governors who have so far identified with the New PDP, Amaechi stands out as the only governor from the South-South geo-political zone. This may change sooner than most people expect.

In what appears to be a deepening of hostilities, strong indications have emerged that the South-South which has so far remained a solid buffer for the President in these trying times could cave in.

At least two governors from this part of the country may soon join the group of seven who are demanding a better deal from the party.

Barring any last-minute change, trusted aides of this yet to be named governors have begun secret talks with officials of the New PDP on behalf of their principals.

Two meetings have already been held in Ikom, Cross River State, and a third is slated for Calabar within a few days.

For now, the seven aggrieved governors are: Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.

Others are: Ahmed Fatai of Kwara, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso of Kano and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State.

All but one of the governors are serving out their second term in office. They, however, insist that their agitation is aimed at rescuing the PDP and by extension Nigeria, from self-destruction.

The meeting of the New PDP in the South-South, the third in a series, is aimed at perfecting plans to unveil more governors who also have an axe to grind with the Tukur-led PDP.

Just as the New PDP has announced its presence in Rivers State, and in President Goodluck Jonathan's home state of Bayelsa, the party appears set to make an appearance in Cross River.

Before now, Cross River State was one of the strongholds of the president in the South-South.

While it is public knowledge that security agencies have effectively curtailed the entrenchment of the New PDP in Rivers and Bayelsa States, the case appears to be different in Cross River as federal lawmakers from the state have emerged as arrowheads of the New PDP in the House of Representatives.

The two meetings so far held were chaired by a leading member of the House of Representatives who has chosen to remain in the shadows.

Some members of this group have been forced into having clandestine meetings after their state governors pointedly warned them against promoting the activities of the splinter PDP in their respective states.

When the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party gave rise to the formation of the parallel New PDP, many analysts were quick to dismiss it as a storm in a tea cup.

Pundits who share this view argue that since the "PDP revolt" was driven by six governors who are serving out their terms in office, it would fizzle out within a few weeks. This has so far not been the case, as the PDP crisis resonated in the National Assembly.

Barely three weeks ago, the Abubakar Baraje-led New PDP paid a supposedly harmless courtesy visit to the National Assembly. The visit, which had the aggrieved governors in attendance, however turned violent when House members from opposition camps engaged each other in fisticuffs.

A similar visit earlier paid to the Senate by the same group went without incident. This was due in part to the disposition of the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark.

He chose to meet with Baraje and his group within the confines of his conference room.

The group reiterated its key demand which was for President Goodluck Jonathan to abstain from seeking re-election in 2015.

According to the group, if the president decides to run in 2015, he would have spent 10 years in office. This, they argued, would contravene provisions of the 1999 Constitution which provides that an elected President or Governor, cannot take the oath of office more than twice.

The Senate President, David Mark, was able to mitigate the crisis as he quickly convened a meeting of the PDP caucus in the Senate a night before the resumption of the Senate.

It was learnt that the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was also prevailed upon by the leadership of the National Assembly to shelve a planned visit in order to prevent a showdown.

This was when it became apparent that Baraje and his group were poised to visit the National Assembly on the same day.

Mark played the role of a statesman when he told the New PDP delegation that he would continue to stand for justice and equity in the party while urging the feuding groups to sheath their swords and work towards party unity.

Mark was at it again when his timely intervention prevented the altercation between Senators Smart Adeyemi and Danjuma Goje over the PDP crisis from degenerating into a free for all.

Goje had, while contributing to a motion to eulogise late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, introduced himself as a member of the New PDP but Adeyemi would have none of it. He raised Order 53 of the Senate Standing Rules and claimed that Goje's self introduction was offensive and should be withdrawn.

Adeyemi said, "It was wrong for Senator Goje, a PDP member who has not defected, to insinuate that PDP has two factions. As far as I know, there is no faction in PDP and to lay claim to two PDPs is unconstitutional.

"I demand that Goje withdraws that statement and apologises to this chamber for using offensive language against the party."

But Goje stood his ground saying, "As far as I am concerned, I belong to the New PDP chaired by Abubakar Baraje. I was a member of PDP long before Adeyemi. In fact, I am more PDP than him."

As tempers rose, Mark intervened. After appealing for calm, he said, "I am satisfied that Goje said he is still in PDP. The issue of chairmanship is not for us to decide." That was as far as the confrontation lasted.

National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, has assured Nigerians that the 7 governors are prepared to meet the President at a later date.

He said, "We will honour the meeting but the resolution of whatever issues are at stake will depend on them (The President and his team).

"We have made our demands and we are not going back on them. If they accept our terms, the better for us all."

In response, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Abubakar Jalo, said, "We are all for a peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues but everyone must come with an open mind.

"Mr. President is not only the party leader but also our national leader; no one should attempt to hold him to ransom. His commitment to peace does not mean he is weak."

As the two sides prepare to meet, unless a political solution is quickly found, the battle for the soul of the PDP is far from over.