There are indications that the Presidency and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party have adopted some measures to tackle the impeachment threats against President Goodluck Jonathan by members of the National Assembly, SUNDAY PUNCH reports.
The report, quoting a source at the Presidency said that President Jonathan had started intervening in states where there were rifts among the major gladiators, especially state governors and their National Assembly members over party tickets.
The source said the idea behind that move was that any lawmaker who was on the same page with the President and his or her governor would not be part of the impeachment move.
The source cited the example of the President’s intervention in the crisis in Cross River and Ondo states during the week.
He said: “That you have not seen the President meeting PDP lawmakers since the impeachment moves started does not mean he is not doing anything about the development. We are adopting subtle strategies of resolving crisis in the states which will lead to further harmonious relationship with the Presidency.
“For instance, it will interest you to know that the President, the PDP national chairman, President of the Senate, Governor Lyel Imoke of Cross Rivers State; his predecessor, Donald Duke and Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba met recently. That meeting was two-pronged: to resolve the crisis in the state chapter of the PDP and again stem the tide of impeachment.
“Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State also met with the President and stakeholders from his state chapter on Thursday. Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi also met with the President.
“All the meetings were aimed at resolving all crises and ensure that the party enters the election year united in all the states.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, had in a statement on the impeachment moves on Wednesday expressed the hope that all political matters would be resolved in the interest of democracy.
Okupe had told Senators behind the reported impeachment that there were issues of national importance that needed their attention instead of moving against the President.
The peace moves is coming on the heels of the announcement by members of minority political parties in the Senate on Friday, where they dissociated themselves from plans by some senators to move an impeachment motion against President Jonathan on December 16.
Senators on the platform of the Social Democratic Party and Accord Party stated that they had not been contacted by the arrowheads of the plot and that they were ignorant of the phenomenon.
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