The October 7 peace meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears threatened following the eruption of renewed hostilities.

In a veiled reaction to comments made by both the presidency and the leadership of the PDP that the seven aggrieved governors, otherwise known as G-7, did not have genuine demands and that they faced possible sanctions, Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido said he and his colleagues in the group cannot be intimidated by anyone, even as he said the nation's democracy has been dramatized.

But the presidency described the demands of the G-7 as senseless and selfish. This is just as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned politicians not to overheat the polity.

A major demand of the governors that Jonathan should not contest the 2015 presidential election has divided the new PDP to which the G-7 governors, former governors as well as aspirants on the platform of the PDP belong.

There have been reports that the PDP was mulling punitive measures against the seven governors, just as the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, chided the governors for harbouring selfish demands that were capable of undermining the PDP.

But Lamido, who spoke in Sokoto yesterday at the commissioning of a water project initiated by his Sokoto State counterpart, Aliyu Wamakko, said what the G-7 governors have advocated since the inception of the crisis were genuine and democratic: "You have to understand that the G-7 governors run governments owned by the people; our combination is made up of leaders with genuine, sincere and honest intentions to deliver credible leadership to their people. Our demands are democratic and genuine.

"Democracy cannot be dramatized. It has to be real and when it is real, you will see it demonstrated in the people. The government we run is owned by the people. We the G-7 governors are genuine, sincere and honest leaders. No matter the level of intimidation, we will stand by the truth."

Noting that Wamakko has delivered on the mandate given to him by the people of the state, Lamido maintained that he is a pride to the north, Nigeria and the entire nation's democracy.

"In the G-7, no amount of intimidation would deter us from actualizing the cause of ensuring that the right thing is done in the polity," he said.

Your demands are senseless, selfish - Presidency

Faulting the G-7 governors, presidential adviser on political matters Alhaji Ahmed Gulak said the demands being made by the governors were to the effect that they want to be leaders of the PDP at all cost. Gulak described the demands as senseless and selfish.

Speaking on the demands of the aggrieved governors that Tukur should resign for peace to reign in the party, Gulak said: "It is the media that is escalating this issue in the party. Of course, they have the right to make demands but the demands they are making now are senseless and selfish. They are making these demands just for their own selfish interest and not in the interest of Nigerians or the party."

Gulak who spoke with LEADERSHIP in New York in an interview said: "There is no problem in the PDP as being reported. However, there may be aggrieved members as the G-7 governors call themselves, and they believe that they have to be leaders at all cost; they believe that they have to pocket the party; they believe that the wrong ways with which things were being done in the party must continue. They have their own opinion, they have their own stand; they may call themselves aggrieved members but I assure you that there is no faction in the PDP."

Stop overheating the polity, Jega tells politicians

INEC chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday warned that the 2015 election would be undermined if political parties did not stop wanton cases of thuggery and disruptions evident in recent elections.

Jega, who gave the warning at the third quarterly meeting between INEC and political parties in Abuja, also charged the political class to stop overheating the polity.

He urged political parties to restrict their quest for elective offices to areas they have institutional presence, pointing out that the commission has been receiving petitions against political parties that lack any presence in some states but habitually present candidates whenever bye-elections are scheduled.

He further warned political parties to desist from engaging in political campaigns outside the stipulated time frame of 90 days before polling day and 24 hours to polling day.

He said: "We urge you to do everything possible to sanitize the polity. You must have an enlightened self-interest, deepening and sustaining our democracy in the best interest of all politicians, as it is for all citizens.

"You must stop overheating the polity. You must continue to promote peaceful conduct and civility in political engagements and electioneering. And you must stop the rising tendency towards thuggery in campaigns and elections. In recent bye-elections we saw disruptions of the electoral process caused by thuggery; this must be stopped in order not to undermine our aspirations for credible and peaceful elections in 2015."

New PDP, former govs disagree on Jonathan‘s eligibility

The Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led new PDP and former governors on the platform of the PDP have expressed divergent opinions on whether Jonathan was eligible to run in 2015.

While the new PDP advised the president to not contemplate the idea of running, the former governors and aspirants of the PDP have urged him to, again, take a shot at the nation's highest office.

The new PDP said in a statement issued and signed by the national publicity secretary of the faction, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze:  "We are worried that Mr President is intent on running despite his earlier promise not to do so and in spite of the wise counsel of well-meaning Nigerians, including respected elder statesmen.

"Mr President should heed the advice of well-meaning distinguished personalities such as constitutional law guru, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), and Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, all of whom have advised him to correctly read the handwriting on the wall and stay away from the 2015 presidential race.

"By 2015, President Jonathan would have served our nation for six solid years. This, surely, is enough time for him to achieve whatever he is capable of doing for Nigeria. What else is he looking for that is making him desperate to participate in the 2015 presidential election despite warnings that doing so may spark a chain of events capable of culminating into the country's disintegration, thereby bringing to pass the predictions of Lord Lugard that Nigeria as a nation by 2014 may be history, which was later confirmed by the USA Think-Tank that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015."

But rising from a meeting in Abuja, the former governors yesterday said it would be against natural justice to deny Jonathan a right to seek re-election in 2015. 

The former party henchmen under the aegis of G13 Candidates/Former PDP Governors' Forum also said the drawbacks of past governments cannot be ascribed to the Goodluck/Sambo administration.

The convener of the forum and former governorship candidate of PDP in Edo State, Major Gen. Charles Arhiavbere, asked all well -meaning PDP members to embrace peace and return to the mainstream of the party under the leadership of Tukur. He said: "The constitution provides for eight years  for every office and I believe that going by natural justice, if there is a tenant in a house and it is going for sale the first opportunity of refusal should go to the occupant. And I believe that, based on the midterm report of the president, we believe that he should be given a second term in office to finish his project. President Jonathan has the right. It has not been published anywhere that he signed an agreement to run for one term. He should be given support and peaceful environment to implement his projects to completion."

On the crisis in the party, he said: "We studied the political impasse, horse-trading and war of attrition and belligerence in recent times within and outside the context of our great party, PDP; the intra-party conflict classified as family affair must be resolved within the party conflict resolution mechanism of the PDP Roundtable Dialogue Initiative put in place for the reconciliation, and all well-meaning PDP members should embrace peace and avail themselves of the opportunity given to return to the mainstream under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as one indivisible PDP."

Present at the meeting were former minister of sports Damishi Sango; Fidelis Seri; former minister of sports Col Abdulminu Aminu; former governor of Adamawa State Boni Haruna; former deputy governor of Ogun State Alhaji Salimot Badru; governorship candidate of PDP in Ondo State Sola Oke; former minister Alhaji Dauda Birmah; Col. John David Dongi (rtd); and AIG Donald Iroha. Former deputy governor of Zamfara State Umar Shinkafi who was not present at the meeting is also a member.