Sources in the administration confirmed that the political committee, which is one of the three strategic committees set up by President Goodluck Jonathan last week had concluded that the President should jettison the carrot and stick approach in handling the crisis and go for a frontal attack on his enemies.
Sources said that the Committee believes that President Jonathan cannot continue to display statesmanship while others are busy with their efforts aimed at pulling down the house.
The Committee it was learnt has recommended the dissolution of state executive committees in the G7 states including, Kano, Jigawa, Adamawa, Sokoto and Kwara.
Sources said that the committee recommended that with the posture of the aggrieved G7 members, it is obvious that they are up to something sinister for the PDP, the source said.
The source stated that the report of the three strategic committees would be presented to Mr. president on Tuesday.
According to a source, while the president was tinkering with a carrot and stick approach, the committee has recommended “a full blown action plan, which includes a dissolution of the state executive committees of at least five of the warring states activities of the disloyal members in the above mentioned states and possible expulsion of some of the indicted.
“Chieftains of the PDP in those mentioned states have not complemented the peaceful disposition of President Jonathan all the while. Their actions amount to taking the president for granted. Action is needed to be taken after identifying those stoking the fire.
“The states include Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Adamwa and Kwara.”
Sources stated that other measures on the cards include a comprehensive X-ray of the activities of the G7 states.
The committee was angry that while President Jonathan has been conciliatory in his approach so far, the G5 governors are not complementing the actions.
The committee also described the situation thus: “While it is clear that the president has not declared his stand concerning the next presidential election, some persons have been orchestrating issues in a way to create confusion and prevent the President from focusing on governance.
“This is an act of gross indiscipline that must be tackled head on, the committee reported.
The two other committees (Legal and Contact), which were equally set up alongside the political committee last week were also said to have concluded their assignment and ready with their reports for the president.
Sources also said that the legal and contact committees also resolved, refused to disclose the details of the recommendations prepared by the other two committees, to raise a standing team to watch the opposition groups, especially the bid to secure what was called “market place injunctions” against the PDP.
Court rejects New PDP’s bid to reopen office
Justice Ganiyu Safari of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday turned down the application of the factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kawu Baraje seeking for an order to reopen its Abuja secretariat that was sealed off by the police on Saturday.
The Baraje faction had dragged the old PDP led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to court asking the court to restrain the embattled chairman and his co-defendants from parading themselves as PDP NEC members and had at the resumed hearing of the suit on Monday asked for an order opening their office.
Those joined alongside Tukur as defendants are Mr. Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman; Dr Kema Chikwe, Women Leader and Mr. Olisa Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary.
However, Justice Safari refused to make a definite pronouncement to open the office on the ground that there was no concrete evidence before the court, adding that there was no evidence linking the Bamanga Tukur-led faction to the action of the police.
The court held that if the party feels that the police is culpable, claimants should file a different application joining the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as defendant in that regard.
Counsel for the Baraje faction, Mr. Robert Emukpaero, had alleged before the court that Tukur and others used the police to seal off the faction’s secretariat, describing the act as a violation of the order of the court directing parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit at the last hearing of the matter last Monday.
He urged the court to order the police to remove their Armored Personnel Carrier vehicles from the secretariat and allow his clients access to their offices. Citing the case of the Supreme court decision in Lagos state governor v. Ojukwu in 1986, Emukpoeruo urged the court to order that the police move the APC stationed at the claimant’s office as the Supreme Court has said when a matter is in court that party should not do anything to pre-empt the court.
In his reply, the defense counsel, Ajibola Oluyede dismissed the claimant’s allegation as a mere say which cannot be relied upon by the court, adding that there was no evidence linking them (defendants) to the sealing off of the secretariat.
He further stated that it was only an assumption that the police had acted on the orders of his clients and only the police could explain why the office was sealed off. He argued that the claimant did not file any affidavit and documentary evidence to support his claims, saying it was a mere emotional outburst that is of no use to the court.
Oluyede also argued that the claimant has admitted that their office was closed by the police and that the assumption that it was carried out on the orders of the defendants was of no moment. “The police is a statutory organization that has discretion powers that cannot be usurped by any one, even the court. They are the only proper respondent, unfortunately, they are not here and they are not parties to this case.”
He, therefore urged the court to discountenance the submission of the claimant as it is only the police that can tell the court what prompted them to seal off their office.
Justice Safari ruled that there was no evidence linking the defendants to the closure of the said secretariat, adding that while the defendants were high ranking members of the PDP, they had no powers to order the police to seal off the secretariat or deploy security agents to the area.
However, he reiterated his previous order that both parties should maintain the status quo pending the determination of the matter and adjourned the matter till September 17, 2013 for hearing of the preliminary objection filed by the defendants.
Before the arguments however, there was a mild drama in the court creating confusion in the camp of the defendants. Three counsel announced themselves in court and there was a tussle on who had the right to represent the old PDP faction
Oluyede first announced his appearance as counsel to the defendants, Boniface Igwe also stood to announce himself as defendant’s counsel from Gadzama chambers to represent Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and other defendants while Emeka Etiaba also announced appearance for the Deputy Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; the Woman Leader, Mrs. Kema Chikwe, and the Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metuh.
Oluyede had argued that he had the instructions of Alhaji Tukur to represent him and others which prompted him to file some processes in court while Igwe and Etiaba displayed letters from the PDP’s National Legal Adviser instructing them to represent the defendants.
Justice Safari had resolved the controversy in favour of Oluyede, who was the counsel on record on the basis that the other lawyers, who had also filed processes in court, had not fulfilled the requirement of order 48 of the Lagos High court rules.
From Tribune
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