Jonathan Infiltrates New PDP, Causes Friction Among Members

Strong indications emerged yesterday that the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been infiltrated by the Presidency as part of moves to cause friction among its members and leadership, just as crisis looms in the fold of the new group following some irreconcilable differences.
It was gathered that the cause of the impending problem was the fact that some members of the faction at the moment were not comfortable with what they said was the secrecy surrounding separate meetings President Goodluck Jonathan held with some G-7 governors penultimate week.



In the camp of Baraje’s new PDP who attended the October 7 meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan were Governors Aliyu Babangida of Niger and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, just as Liyel Imoke of Cross River and Idris Wada of Kogi State were also at the meeting, but not in Baraje’s faction.
It was also gathered that the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC which recognised the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his National Working Committee, NWC as the authentic body, has also created a situation of ‘indecision’ in the group, just as some members of Baraje faction now have three options to know where the pendulum would shift to.

According to the source, some of them were contemplating joining the All Progressives Congress, APC, ‘abandoning the struggle midway’ or to be with the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, even as the last option was being considered as ‘too dangerous to gamble with.’

The source said: “The fight for internal democracy that we waged against Tukur and the President is not a personal one; we all have our personal relationships with either Tukur or the president; but a situation where some people, because they have access to the villa, will go in to meet with the president and table their personal matters will only whittle down our fight.”

“Today, you have seen that our operational office has been sealed up by the same people who say they are pursuing peace; this is happening because most of the governors have been discussing different and personal matters with the president each time they have audience with him.”