Timeline of the reluctant journey to APC

August 31: On a day it marked the 15th anniversary of its formation, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was factionalised, resulting to the formation of a splinter group known as New PDP by a group of seven governors. The formation of the group was hinged on the emergence of a ‘Unity List’ at the special national convention of PDP held in Abuja, which allegedly left out the names of some supporters of the seven governors from contesting.
September 2:  President Goodluck Jonathan met with the New PDP  governors, in a bid to find a lasting solution to the impasse. The battle for the soul of the PDP escalated further with the Baraje chaired faction filing a lawsuit at a Lagos State High Court seeking to sack the Tukur-led executive from office. The plaintiffs in the suit are factional chairman Baraje, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the PDP.
The plaintiffs asked Justice Ganiyu S. Safari to restrain the Defendants – Tukur, Prince Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman, Mrs. Kema Chikwe, Woman Leader, Olisah Metuh, National Publicity Secretary, and other persons, who were elected on Saturday at the party’s mini congress in Abuja, from parading themselves as members of the National Executive of the party.
September 4: PDP Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, said rebel PDP governors and lawmakers would lose their seats. Tukur threatened that, “all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law.”
September 7: Security agents deployed Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, tanks to seal off the secretariat of New PDP, the splinter group within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. Leaders and governors of the New PDP had planned to open the office located at 4, Oyi Street, off Ibrahim Babangida Way, Maitama District, Abuja, on September 9.
September 15: President Jonathan met with seven rebel governors in Abuja with a view to resolving the crisis rocking the PDP.
September 17: There was uproar at the House of Representatives with the arrival of the leader of the break-away faction of the PDP, Abubakar Baraje, who had requested earlier to come to the lower chambers on a courtesy visit. Break-away faction of the PDP denied ever reaching any agreement with President Goodluck Jonathan. The group in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, while denying any truce with the Presidency and the Bamanga Tukur-led faction of the PDP, also accused Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, of being “a serial liar.”
September 20: The chairman of the Northern States Governor’s Forum and governor of NigerState, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, accused the foot soldiers of President  Jonathan  of reneging  in their agreement at their last peace meeting.
October 2: Governor Gabriel Suswam of BenueState urged his  NigerState counterpart, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, to retrace his steps back to the mainstream PDP.
October 7: October 7 peace parley postponed indefinitely. The new PDP, in a statement issued by it National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the caucus of the faction of the party took the decision for a number of reasons.
October 17: Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered Kawu Baraje, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and Sam Jaja to stop parading themselves as national officers of the PDP. Chukwu said this in his judgment in a suit brought to it, September 6, by the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and 12 others. The Judge further restrained the Baraje-led new PDP from interfering with the duties of “Bamanga Tukur-led leadership of the party”.
November 3: A gathering of the New PDP was disrupted by the Divisional Police Officer of Asokoro Division, Nnana Ama, at the Kano Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro district of Abuja, alongside his men. Explaining what transpired, Oyinlola said, “We were holding our meeting with the governors when the DPO of Asokoro came in to say that he had instructions to disperse us from holding meeting or else effect arrest.
November 4: Five of the seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Abeokuta, OgunState, residence to deliberate on the crisis rocking the party. The governors also visited former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan and ex-defence Minister, Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd).
November 6: A Court of Appeal in Abuja, reinstated a former OsunState governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as the National Secretary of the PDP.
November 10: The PDP  suspended its former National Secretary now National Secretary of the new PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; National Chairman of the breakaway faction, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja and former Senator Ibrahim Kazaure.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said the four were suspended for alleged anti-party activities, warning other party members to avoid having any dealings with the four and further asking them to report to the party’s disciplinary committee for appropriate sanctions.
November 25: Another opportunity for the resolution of the crisis was lost, as President Jonathan postponed his meeting with the G7 governors, citing health challenges. The meeting, earlier billed for November 23 at the presidential villa, was rescheduled for another day.

- Vanguard

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