Presidency sources have disclosed how President Goodluck Jonathan pressured Tanko Isiaku Gwamma, the treasurer of the Abubakar Baraje-led new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), to announce his resignation on Sunday.
In a statement earlier today, Mr. Gwamma claimed that he arrived at the decision to quit “after a careful study of the unfolding events in the polity and a deep sober reflection of the consequences of the outcome of such impasse on our party.” However, two reliable sources within the Presidency revealed that his arms were twisted and he was maneuvered into leaving the splinter faction of the party and renouncing his post as treasurer.
“Alhaji Tanko Isiaku Gwamma resigned after he was promised a juicy political appointment,” said one of our sources. The source added that Mr. Gwamma asked for some time to weigh his options, but Mr. Jonathan’s aides made it clear that they wanted him to act immediately. “He initially insisted that he needed to consult before tendering his letter [of resignation], but Alhaji Gwamma was asked to bring his letter immediately and speak with reporters at the [Presidential] Villa. He could not reject the offer,” the source added.
.SaharaReporters also learnt that Mr. Gwamma was not warned beforehand that cameramen and reporters would be brought in and he would be asked to speak to them immediately announcing his departure from the Baraje faction of the party. One source said he hesitated a little before consenting to speak to the press.
He stated, “Our desire is for the PDP to continue to lead while others follow. As such, we must eschew all vices capable of unnecessarily heating up the polity.
“I pledge my loyalty to the Bamanga Tukur leadership, while calling on all party faithful to do [the] same.”
One of our sources said the Presidency, Mr. Bamanga Tukur, who heads a faction of the party, and Tony Anenih, the faction’s chairman of the Board of Trustees, had decided that the best strategy for confronting the Baraje group was to use cash and political appointments to woo some of its members back to the Tukur fold.
The source stated that former Vice President Abubakar Atiku was the main financier of the splinter group, adding that most of the seven governors with the Baraje group were scared of funneling money to it for fear of the Presidency sending officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after them. “Atiku has money, but he can’t match Federal financial power,” the source said. He said the Jonathan administration was confident of using the strategy that won Mr. Gwamma to persuade more members of the Baraje group to rejoin the Tukur group.
“In the game of politics, money talks. And the fact is that Alhaji Baraje’s group cannot mobilize the kind of money that Dr. Bamanga Tukur commands,” said the source.
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