Olusola Fabiyi and Kamarudeen Ogundele
Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan is to lead the peace process aimed at finding a lasting solution to the leadership crisis engulfing the Peoples Democratic Party.
This is outcome of the meeting between the former President and the governors elected on the platform of the PDP which took place on Tuesday night in Abuja.
The Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Ayodele Fayose, had told reporters after the meeting that they would seek political solution to the leadership crisis rocking the party.
A Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently pronounced Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the rightful National Chairman of the PDP.
The former Borno State governor after the judgment said he would quit office as “soon as a national convention is held and new national officers are produced.”
But the PDP governors, who are members of Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction, had maintained that they would never be part of the convention.
Speaking on the new development with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, Fayose said the new position was based on the outcome of the meeting held at the instance of the former President.
“The meeting believes that political engagement of all stakeholders to the dispute may bring a lasting solution. Former President Jonathan is to lead the process. The ongoing courts processes notwithstanding, party faithful should be patient and allow for possible resolution through dialogue.”
Fayose said the new position was without prejudice to the ongoing appeal at the Supreme Court.
“We believe while the case is going on, we should engage all the stakeholders. The unity in the party is more important without prejudice to the ongoing case in court.
“There is no price too much to pay for peace. It is not about the governors alone, it is the initiative of the stakeholders to find a lasting peace.”
Asked what the conditions for peace were, the governor said there was none set at the meeting because “politics is free will.”
“There is no condition, politics is free will. We should do everything that will promote peace. We pleaded with everybody not to make inflammatory statement,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees of the PDP said it was waiting for the governors elected on the platform of the party to brief it on the outcome of the meeting they had with Jonathan in Abuja on Tuesday night.
The Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, who spoke with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the board would wait for the governors to brief it before making any pronouncements.
Meanwhile, Sheriff has commended former President Jonathan for the role he played in making the governors to toe the path of peace in finding solution to the crisis.
Sheriff said that the National Working Committee of the party paid glowing tribute to the former President after its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
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