PDP Crisis: Senator Lar faults Jonathan intervention

A staunch member of Peoples Democratic Party Senator Victor Lar has faulted the way the former President Goodluck Jonathan handled the last reconciliation meeting convoked at his instance in Abuja and suggested  that further negotiation and reconciliation to resolve the crisis  should be suspended until Supreme Court gives its verdict on the matter.

The Former President Goodluck Jonathan recently convoked a meeting in Abuja involving both the National Chairman of the Party Senator Modu Sheriff and the Chairman Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi to find a lasting solution to the leadership crisis confronting party.

Speaking with Tribune Online in Jos, Senator Victor Lar said the former President err from the way he handled the proceedings of the meeting adding that the situation  whereby  Sheriff stormed out of the meeting on the premise of protocol ought to have been envisaged and addressed before the meeting.

“A meeting involving both Sheriff and Makarfi along with their followers is expected to be storming with all manner of antics to scuttle it; this ought to have been taking into consideration and there is nothing bad if the former President recognize Sheriff  as the National Chairman and Makarfi as the Caretaker Chairman. So the opportunity to resolve impasse has been lost to the best of my knowledge” he said.

According to him, holding meetings upon meetings to address the lingering crisis would further aggravate the problem rather than solving the leadership crisis adding that since the judgment of Appeal Court in Port harcourt is before the Supreme Court, the two sides should wait for the verdict of the Apex Court.

Said he: “Once a matter is before a Court of Law, any further discussion on the matter outside the court could be sub judice. Since all political attempts to resolve the leadership crisis has failed, the best option is to wait for the pronouncement of Supreme Court instead of compounding the problems.

“The contending forces and those behind them are not sincere; it is glaring that Sheriff is only celebrating the Court of Appeal Judgment, he lacks the followership as far as the Peoples Democratic Party is concern. How many Governors did you see with Sheriff? Or how many National Assembly members did you see in his camp? The Dickson Committee recommended six governors to sit on negotiating table from both side of the divide, where are the governors with Sheriff. It is a matter of time, let the Supreme Court decides.

“The political class, especially those with Sheriff failed to recognize the fact that there is a difference between Court judgment and political judgment. You may have court judgment without follower; court victory would not make people to follow you. A good politician will keep the court judgment in his pocket and follow the path of reconciliation” he said.