FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the outcome of the meeting he held recently with governors of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) on the resolution of the party’s lingering leadership crisis, saying that he has not given any preconditions to the factional leaders.
He had summoned the meeting last Tuesday where it was resolved that the party should seek a political solution to the crisis which has seen Senator Ali Modu Sheriff leading one group as the national chairman and Senator Ahmed Makarfi presiding over the National Caretaker Committee of the party.
Reports had later emerged that he had requested both men to step down from their positions to allow for the conduct of a national convention by a neutral body.
But according to a statement issued by the Media Adviser to the former president, Ikechukwu Eze in Abuja on Friday, Jonathan has given no such precondition as it noted that such conjecture was the handiwork of those who do not want that peace effort to succeed.
He has therefore urged party members to ignore rumours and false information being passed off as the outcome of the continuing dialogue, stressing that the former President would address the public on the positive outcome of the ongoing consultations, at the appropriate time.
The statement posited that the claims were “clearly off-the-mark speculations, presenting often contradictory perspectives on the on-going consultations towards resolving the issues in the PDP.”
It added: “We wish to urge the public and well-meaning PDP members to ignore such misleading conjectures as they are obviously the handiwork of those who do not wish the party well, and are therefore not happy with the current reconciliation efforts.”
“The fact that the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, promptly addressed journalists at the end of the meeting, to the effect that an agreement was reached on seeking a political solution in resolving the differences in the party, clearly showed that there was no ambiguity in messaging.”
“It is obvious that those behind the misleading publications have failed to achieve their aim, as the former President has seamlessly continued with the consultations and reconciliatory meetings. It is instructive to note that since the meeting of last Tuesday with the Governors, ex-President Jonathan has also met with many other key leaders of the party, including the Chairman, Board of Trustee (BOT) Sen. Walid Jibrin, deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, in line with his resolve to carry all the organs of the party along.”
“There is no doubt that the statesmanship evident in the former President’s reconciliation efforts precludes his laying preconditions, as is deliberately being misrepresented by a section of the media,” Eze said.
He added: “We hereby reiterate that the former President is determined to continue on this path of inclusive dialogue, by working with the Governors, the Board of Trustees (BOT), members of the National Assembly and other key stakeholders, until the internal dispute is finally resolved.”
“Again, we urge the public and loyal party members to continue to support the peace process and not to listen to rumours, as ex-President Jonathan will address them on the positive outcome of the consultations, at the appropriate time.”
and then