• Turaki heads to Supreme Court

The two factions in the leadership tussle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are still at loggerheads despite the reconciliation process aimed at finding a lasting peace in the party. The Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, had granted the factions leave to sort out their differences, which necessitated the setting up a reconciliation committee by the Board of Trustees (BoT), to mediate in the crisis.

While the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, said it is still going ahead with its planned national convention on March 29 and 30, the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki faction, after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Friday, resolved to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgement, Abuja Division that nullified last year’s national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State that elected the National Working Committee (NWC) members.

The FCT minister’s faction has already adopted the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, as consensus candidates for the respective positions, at the national convention. It decided to adopted “inclusiveness, unity and renewal” as theme of the national convention, which is holding on Sunday and Monday at the Velodrome of Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

A source told Saturday Telegraph that the Turaki faction had wanted to get court injunction to stop the convention, but decided against it as it would further exacerbate the crisis and caused PDP not to field candidates in 2027 general elections. He disclosed that the issue was “thoroughly discussed” at the NWC meeting last Wednesday, “and rather than going to court, we decided to interface with the other faction.

“In any case, we decided that in the interest of the party and in the interest of our members who want a platform to contest in 2027, we decided not to stop the convention.

It is not a convention in the real sense of it because it does not follow due process.” PDP National Publicity Secretary of Turaki faction, Ini Emembong, who briefed journalists at the end of the NEC meeting on Friday, said “irrespective of what both parties are doing independently on their own, it doesn’t affect the reconciliation.

“When the reconciliation happens eventually, the terms of the reconciliation will determine whether what was done and the things that were done have reached the destination.” Emembong disclosed that the NEC discussed the reconciliation process and ratified the decision to appeal the Court of Appeal judgement at the Supreme Court, as well as the party’s e-registration.

“All of those were ratified and after exhaustive deliberations the NEC came to the agreement that the decisions were taken in utmost good faith,” he said. The spokesperson pointed out that the de-escalation of the crisis is an indication that the reconciliation process is succeeding. “You are not finding both sides trading blames and hot tackles.

You are finding de-escalation in rhetoric, hurtful rhetoric and the rest. “And so what is there is that the journey of reconciliation is on course, the bus has left the station, the train has left the station, but has it arrived at reconciliation? No. Has it passed some bus stations and train stations? The answer is yes. “Discussions are ongoing.

There is what is called irreducible demands that you want to take out of it. But what you leave the house with is usually not what you go back with. “So it is the zone of possible agreement where parties would say this agreement works for this party.”