Gov. Shema, Katsina New PDP In Peace Talks

Barrister Ibrahim Shehu-ShemaGovernor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State on Monday held talks with leaders of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) in the state, who have pledged their support for the Abubakar Kawu Baraje national leadership of the faction.

The meeting, according to insiders, was to find peaceful means of persuading aggrieved members of the PDP in Katsina from carrying out their threat of opening a parallel secretariat of the nPDP in the state.

The meeting comes on the heels of a statement credited to Gov. Shema weekend during a zonal meeting of PDP in the state, that anyone, who believes in the existence of “New PDP” in the state need to have their heads checked at a Psychiatric hospital for what he called “mental disorder.”

The meeting, a source said, involved the governor, national leaders of the Former Elected Local Government Chairmen Association (FELGOCAS), PDP elder statesman, Alhaji Bilya Sanda; and leader of the “New PDP” in Katsina, Alhaji Bala Saulawa.

Addressing to journalists shortly after a closed door meeting at Government House, Katsina, Saulawa said he was invited to the reconciliation meeting by FELGOCAS’s national President, Alhaji Ilyasu Danmusa and some PDP elders.

“Our meeting today has indicated that both the new and old PDP are one family. But we haven’t achieved anything yet. The meeting is still on because I have told the governor at the meeting that I am not alone in this move, therefore I should be given enough time to consult my people,” he said.

“I was given up to Wednesday to meet with my people and come up with a stand concerning the issue. Government wanted us to come back and embrace the old PDP. The governor had promised us that he will carry everybody along but notwithstanding, my people will decide their fate before Wednesday.”

He added that they another meeting was going to hold yesterday with other supporters of the New PDP.

“I am going to brief them on the outcome of our meeting with Governor Shema and whatever they decide I will convey their message to the governor in our next meeting slated for Wednesday this week,” he said.

Sanda, for his part, said he stepped into the PDP factions’ saga with a view to uniting party’s members.

While expressing optimism that the reconciliation move will yield positive results in the end, he affirmed that PDP elders in the state will do all within their powers to ensure that the party remains one united family in the state.

-Daily Trust

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