BY HENRY UMORU

ABUJA—AS part of plan B for the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, the group yesterday resolved to enlarge its mobilisation and contact committee to include more sitting governors and ex-governors saddled with responsibility of exploring other options available to the group should dialogue with President Jonathan fails to yield any positive result on whether to dump the party for another or remain in the party.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting of the Baraje-led nPDP, the faction boasted that the vision and mission of the party cannot be derailed by what it described as any force or group of people no matter the ploys and plots.

He said, “the committee is expected also to liaise with the new five other PDP governors and other leaders that have indicated interest to join the group and submit report during the next meeting of the caucus that will hold in a week’s time to ascertain how these distinguished new members would be received by the party.”

Though the chairman of the Mobilisation/ Contact Committee was not mentioned by the group, but Vanguard gathered authoritatively that the committee will be chaired by a very powerful Nigerian from North West who occupies a very sensitive position in the country and belongs to a different arm of government and not the Executive organ of government.

At the end of its caucus meeting which took place at the Kano Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja on Sunday, the group also put in place a Fund/ Finance Committee to raise additional funds for the group, just as it condemned the deployment of policemen to Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro where the Sunday meeting was earlier scheduled to take place before it was later held at the Kano State Governor’ s Lodge.

The communique read, “The meeting attended by the New PDP stakeholders resolved as follows: The meeting congratulated and commended the Alhaji Abukakar Kawu Baraje-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the party for exhibiting quality and purposeful leadership and urged the team not to relent until Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is restored to the right path of democracy and civilised conduct unlike the draconian style of leadership being exhibited by the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur faction of the party.

“The meeting reviewed the events that preceded the formation of the New PDP which main aim was to stop some of the undemocratic acts and impunity associated with the Tukur leadership of the party. It took stock of all the efforts by members of the group to assist in putting the PDP back to a democratic path as envisioned and envisaged by the founding fathers of the party and commended members for staying so faithful to the goals, vision and mission of the historical step we took by walking out during the ill-conceived and flawed August, 2013 Special Convention of PDP.

“The meeting enlarged the mobilisation/contact committee to include more sitting governors and ex-governors. The committee was mandated to explore other options available to the party should the dialogue with President Jonathan fails to yield any positive result for its future political activity as the vision and mission of the party cannot be derailed by any force or group of people no matter the ploys and plots. The committee is expected also to liaise with the new five other PDP governors and other leaders that have indicated interest to join the group and submit report during the next meeting of the caucus that will hold in a week’s time to ascertain how these distinguished new members would be received by the party.

“The meeting set up a fund/finance committee mandated to source for extra funds to run the party.
“The meeting reviewed all our court cases so far and counselled the legal team to ensure that our water-tight cases are professionally handled and ensure success in all the cases involving the party henceforth.

“The meeting reviewed all the peace meetings so far held with President Jonathan and the Tukur faction of the party and commended our governors for the maturity they have exhibited in the course of the meetings even though all the issues we raised and presented through the General Olusegun Obasanjo-led Elders Committee to President Jonathan and his people have been bluntly turned down.