A member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim, has described the unfolding conflict between President Olusegun Obasanjo and the party’s National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, as unnecessary.
According to him, it was wrong for the party’s national chairman to resort to writing, saying he ought to have convened a meeting with the president to discuss the issue at hand.
Speaking in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corp-oration (BBC) monitored in Abuja, Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim said the Anambra crisis has been on the agenda of sev-eral meetings of the PDP leadership, but without any concrete solution.
“I expect both Audu Ogbeh and the president to convene a special meeting with all stakeholders in the Anambra crisis, including people like Chief Alex Ekwu-eme in order to resolve the matter amicably,” he said.
Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim however faulted Chief Ogbeh for comparing the Second Republic with the current situation in the country. “It is wrong for Ogbeh to comp-are this government with that of President Shehu Shagari, which throughout its period, did not record any religious or tribal conflicts. It was more democratic, just and fair,” he added.
Efforts at finding a truce between Ogbeh and Obasanjo failed yesterday at the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the party, resulting in a caucus meeting at the State House, Abuja, with major stakeholders in attendance.
Obasanjo, according to sources, expressed disgust at the December 6 letter by Chief Ogbeh, describing it as uncalled for on the grounds that the PDP national chair-man was part of series of me-etings held on the Anambra crisis.
Commenting on the issue, the presidential spokesperson, Mrs Remi Oyo, defended the president, saying he reacted because the matter had been pushed into public domain.
“The president was elected by the people of Nigeria to serve them faithfully without fear or favour. The people of Nigeria deserve to know the president’s reaction to the grave allegation that was made and was made public. And so, what the president has done is in continuation of his commitment to the people of Nigeria to serve them honestly in accordance with the constitution,” she declared.
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