An emergency meeting of the seven Peoples Democratic Party governors in the New PDP will hold this week in Abuja.
The meeting, according to the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Chukwuemeka Eze, was called by the New PDP Chairman, Abubakar Baraje, who just returned from the 2013 pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Other stakeholders , including the National Working Committee members of the New PDP, would also attend the meeting which would “exhaustively discuss the new developments and chart the way forward as there is no going back on our just struggle to rescue PDP from the hands of usurpers.”
The meeting, according to a statement by Eze on Sunday , will also decide “on the Federal High Court ruling and the challenges facing us as a group.”
Eze added in the statement that the meeting would deliberate “on how five more governors in the PDP that have indicated interest to join the Baraje leadership will be received into our fold.”
But he did not name the five new governors in the statement.
The G-7 popularly referred to as rebel governors are Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Sule Lamido(Jigawa), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara ), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano).
Eze said the New PDP had carefully studied Friday’s ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja which declared the NWC headed by Tukur as the authentic leadership of the PDP.
He said that as a group that had a lot of respect for the judiciary, it had accepted the ruling in good faith but would still appeal against it.
Eze said, “Even so, we have directed our legal team to appeal the judgement as a matter of urgency as we remain convinced that we have a good case and are thus determined to ensure that Tukur and his cohorts are not allowed to hold sway as the leaders of our great party.”
He added that contrary to some insinuations that there was a division among members of the New PDP, “our current travails have strengthened us the more and acted as unifying factors that have shown us that it is a matter of time that the undemocratic elements that have seized our party will be dislodged.”
The National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has however described the New PDP as a storm in a teacup.
Tukur made the comment in Port Harcourt on Saturday during the inauguration of the Rivers State chapter of the PDP National Youth wing of the Rural Empowerment and Advocacy Project.
He explained that the party would continue to remain focused despite the attempt by some of its members to break it up.
Tukur, who was represented by the National Youth Leader of the PDP, Abdullahi Maibasira, added that PDP members who were not ready to subject themselves to internal party discipline could leave.
He said, “We are open for reconciliation, however, anyone who feels he is too big to subject himself or herself to party discipline can leave to where there is no internal party discipline.
“The PDP remains focused. As usual, the PDP remains the party to beat in 2015 and we will perform better at the polls if we are united.
“The courts in interpreting the nation’s constitution declared that there is no party as the New PDP. The Independent National Electoral Commission in interpreting the Electoral Act, has also insisted that there is nothing like the New PDP.”
Tukur urged members in the state to support President Goodluck Jonathan if he (Jonathan) decided to seek re-election in 2015.