President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan again took time out on Thursday afternoon to tackle the crises within his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, when he met with state governors elected on the platform of the party.
The meeting, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was also attended by the Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim.
Governors present at the meeting were Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Ramallah Mukhtar Yero (Kaduna), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Theodore Orji (Abia), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).
The governors of Kogi, Cross River and Enugu States were represented by their deputies.
Though Akpabio, who spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting said it was a peer review mechanism meeting, sources said the bulk of the time spent with the President by the governors was over the crises rocking the PDP.
This had to do with the congresses conducted in Adamawa State, which was endorsed by the National chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, but which was upturned by the National Working Committee in the absence of Tukur.
The other is the election of a chairman for the party’s Board of Trustees.
A meeting earlier in the week could not resolve the issue.
Akpabio, who parried questions on the internal wrangling within the ruling party at the federal level and in most states of the federation, told newsmen after the meeting: “Mr. President invited all the PDP Governors to have a parley with him.
“I think this is the second of that type of meeting.
“We agree we should meet every two months to look at issues as leaders of the country.
“And particularly since the PDP is the ruling party.
“We must look at all areas of governance and look at areas that require improvement.
It is a kind of peer review mechanism, where the PDP states comes together to look not just at governance at the state level but also of the party itself at the national level.
“So, that we look at things that can strengthen the party and also look at what Nigerians want, while we are delivering dividends of democracy, which other areas Nigerians are clamoring for improvement.
“And I think this is good for the governance of the country.
“We must commend Mr. President for this initiative.
“Meeting the President and the Vice President will augur well for the governance of this country.
“We will deliver more dividends to our people.
“Nigerians love the PDP and of course we want to give Nigerians the best.
“I can assure you that from the discussion we had, PDP will remain the party to beat because Nigerians are looking for good governance.”
On whether the PDP governors are comfortable with the way the party is being run, Akpabio said: “You know the PDP is a very large party.
“The party may have it’s own internal challenges.
“Of course we have our own modus operandi, ways of resolving all these issues.
“Various committee have been set up from the Board of Trustees, from the National Working Committee, I believe that at the end of the day, in the next one week, all those issues will be a thing of the past.
“Nothing like the PDP governors not being happy.
“We identify with the party, we have confidence in the party and all the internal wrangling you are hearing, those things are normal in any democracy.
“These are as a result of the fact that the PDP is a very large party, the largest in the whole of Africa.
“All these internal issues will soon be resolved.
“Mr. President, who is the leader of the party, has taken the right step.
“He has set up the right committees and you are aware that even in the state of Adamawa, we have the Governor Sule Lamido Committee that will soon bring a report, which will bring the Adamawa crisis to an end.
“The governors are happy with the party and we are sure that under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, all the issues pertaining to the party will be resolved amicably and the party will come out stronger.”
Asked if the governors were happy with Tukur, Akpabio said: “We affirm what the party chairman is saying.”
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