There was disquiet at the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday following House of Representatives Speaker Mallam Aminu Tambuwal’s presence at a rally for suspended Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko.
In spite of pressure, Tambuwal said he could not abandon the wish of his constituents to back Wamakko for the caprices of the PDP National Secretariat.
The rally, organised by Sokoto PDP, was designed to show the party that Wamakko’s suspension was unpopular and unacceptable.
Wamakko was suspended last week by PDP for allegedly not picking National Chairman Bamanga Tukur’s phone calls and for not recognising the PDP Governors Forum, which is headed by Governor Godswill Akpabio.
The forum was created when it became clear that Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi would run for chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) – an election, which he won, but over which governors are divided.
Tambuwal left Abuja yesterday in the afternoon for Sokoto defying security reports and threats from some PDP stalwarts not to attend the rally.
It was gathered that Tambuwal took the decision to stand by Wamakko because of “available reports” indicating that the governor was suspended also because of him.
According to sources, some PDP stalwarts and forces in the Presidency got wind of Wamakko’s plan to make Tambuwal his successor in 2015.
It was gathered that the Presidency prefers one of the strategists of President Goodluck Jonathan, Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, to succeed Wamakko.
The forces in the Presidency have been uncomfortable with alleged hostility of the House of Representatives to government policies, especially budgeting in the last two years.
Tambuwal’s closeness to opposition lawmakers also allegedly drew the ire of the forces in the Presidency .
It was learnt that the plot against Tambuwal reached its climax following intelligence reports that the Speaker played a key role in convincing some governors from the Northwest to re-elect Amaechi.
A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Speaker made up his mind to stand by Wamakko in his hour of need because the persecution of the governor by PDP was aimed at him. The forces in the Presidency and PDP are being calculative in moving against Tambuwal; they believe they should start from his home base.
“Several times, some party stalwarts accused Wamakko of backing Tambuwal but the governor refused to withdraw support for the Speaker.
“Now that it is becoming obvious that Wamakko has plans to handover to Tambuwal in 2015, the party has decided to suspend the governor.”
To the source, who pleaded not to be named, alleged anti-party activities, including non-picking of Tukur calls and disdain for PDP Governors Forum, are mere smokescreen for the real issue – 2015 politics.
The Presidency favours one of Jonathan’s strategists, Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, as successor to Wamakko.
“The bigger picture behind the suspension of Wamakko is to hijack the party structure from the governor ahead of 2015 to pave the way for the emergence of Gada. Initially, the President had opted for Senator Gada as the Minister of FCT before some members of the Northern Senators Forum recommended the present Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed,” said the source.
The plan, it is said, is to compensate Gada with a governorship slot. “Yet, being a grassroots man, the forces in the presidency and PDP believe that Wamakko can fix governorship slot for Tambuwal,” the source said.
The Speaker is branded an ally of the opposition. There is a plot to stop Tambuwal from contesting for any office on the ticket of PDP in 2015.”
Asked to comment on the Speaker’s presence at the rally, Tambuwal’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mallam Imam Imam, said his boss attended the Sokoto rally because “he is a grassroots politician who panders to the wish of his constituents”.
Quoting former US Congress Speaker, Tip O’Neil, who said “all politics is local”, Imam said: “Tambuwal is first and foremost a representative of the people of Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State before being the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“Speaker Tambuwal was in Sokoto (for the rally) because he believes in the saying that all politics is local.
“Any politician worth his onion must understand and influence the issues of his constituents.
“The people of Sokoto came out in large numbers to welcome their Governor; why shouldn’t the Speaker be there? He is in Sokoto because that is what the people of Sokoto want and he is happy to be part of the gathering.”
A PDP source said: “This party does not expect Tambuwal to be at a rally or welcome reception for a suspended governor. This will amount to condoning indiscipline when Wamakko is undergoing disciplinary procedures.
“We will wait for the outcome of the rally or why the Speaker was in Sokoto before we can take a position. Whatever enquiry you are raising now is based on hearsay.
“All I can tell you is that we are monitoring development in Sokoto with keen interest.”
In another development, barely a week after his suspension by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko returned yesterday from an overseas trip, but his plane could not land at the Sokoto International Airport.
There was no technical problem, but a huge crowd of excited supporters stormed the tarmac.
The governor, who was supposed to land at 4.17pm, could not do so until about 6pm.
The governor was held in the air for about 20 minutes before Aviation authorities diverted the plane to Kaduna – to avoid stampede.
But the aircraft, which brought federal lawmakers from the state, who accompanied the governor to Sokoto,succeeded in landing at 4.15pm.
Although Wamakko was expected to land two minutes later, the tarmac was declared unsafe by aviation management.
The diversion of the governor’s flight created tension among his supporters and to avoid a breakdown of law and order, the airport management opted to clear the tarmac.
After clearance, the governor’s plane eventually landed at about 6pm.
As at 8.30pm, the governor was still battling to wade through the huge crowd lining the routes from the airport to the Government House.
A PDP source in the state said: “The crowd comprised mostly PDP supporters, who are angry over the suspension of the governor. Initially, there was tension because the anxious supporters thought that the Federal Ministry of Aviation was up to a game like it did to Amaechi and Oshiomhole.
“But tempers subsided when the governor eventually landed . The crowd was huge.
“This is a sign that if the PDP National Secretariat messes up, the party may lose the state. How can they suspend a governor for not picking the calls of the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur?”
The Ministry of Aviation cited a near breakdown of law and order at the Sokoto Airport as the reason why the Donnier 328 aircraft flying the governor from Abuja was diverted to Kaduna.
In a statement, the Media Assistant to the Minister of Aviation, Mr Joe Obi, explained that the governor’s supporters broke the fence of the airport and were on their way to the tarmac to welcome the governor.
The statement reads : “ The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), a few hours ago diverted the plane, a Donnier 328 aircraft carrying the Governor of Sokoto State, Alh. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamako to Kaduna airport as a safety and security precautionary measure. The governor was in an Abuja in-bound flight to Sokoto.
“The safety/security precautionary measure followed the near-breakdown of law and order at the Sokoto airport by an unruly crowd of Wamako supporters who broke the fence and was on its way to the tarmac, apparently to welcome the governor.
“Effort by security personnel to prevent a breach of the security and movement into the prohibited and restricted areas of the airport was met with stiff resistance from the crowd.
“Sensing that the security and safety of the governor and other passengers was in real danger, NAMA decided to divert the aircraft to Kaduna airport to restore normalcy at the airport.
“The governor and other passengers on board have since returned and landed safely at the airport, after the unruly crowd had been successfully restrained from entering the restricted zone.”
Source: NATION