By Kola Ologbondiyan and Oke Epia in Abuja, 08.28.2006

The meeting, which holds against the background of growing worry over alleged poaching of its governors by newly emerging parties, would also consider and ratify guidelines for the congresses and national convention of the party.

Besides, the hierarchy of the party is expected to submit reports of zonal reconciliation committees as well as committees set up to investigate the crises in Bayelsa and Anambra States of the party.
THISDAY gathered that though no formal charge had been brought against Atiku, the hawks in the party might broach the issue of his reported romance with opposition parties as a basis to call for sanction against him.

The Vice-President had been reportedly fingered as the main force behind the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD). He was reported to have been part of a meeting with 12 state governors where the issue of ACD mergers with other parties and political tendencies were discussed.
Atiku has, however, denied being part of the meeting.

But those moving against him are said to have rallied strategies to bring the Vice-President into focus at the NEC meeting to create the ground for putting him on the spot such that the party may have to formally begin investigations of the alleged anti-party activities.
Today痴 meeting is also crucial because the NEC is expected to ratify guidelines for the congresses, primaries and national convention already prepared by the National Working Committee (NWC).
The approved guidelines may be released after the meeting, according to a party source.

Reports from the zonal committees set up to reconcile aggrieved members of the party after the botched attempt to secure a third term for President Olusegun Obasanjo are also expected to be submitted.
Six committees were constituted at the last NEC meeting to go states in all the zones of the country and reconcile party members who were aggrieved as a result of the last registration and revalidation of membership last year.

The reports are believed to have been submitted to the NWC and may merely receive the endorsement of the NEC today.

Special investigative/disciplinary committees set up to get to the root of crisis in the Bayelsa and Anambra States of the party will turn in their reports.
The issues will receive the attention of NEC because the cases of alleged suspension of the state chairman fall within the purview of the organ.
But THISDAY gathered that the committee for Bayelsa State may have recommended that the suspension of the Chairman,

Chief Fred Agbedi, be lifted since he had in the same speech at the rally complained of by Governor Goodluck Jonathan, assued all contestants of a level-playing field.

Besides, the committee was aid to have found the governor痴 complaint against the chairman as self-serving since some members of the state executive council had also being doing his biddings too.

Agbedi had been suspended last month for allegedly using the state structure of the party to boost the aspiration of a governorship hopeful in the state. He was suspended by the State Working Committee (SWC) for allegedly attending a rally organised for Mr. Timi Alaibe and presenting the party痴 flag to the aspirant.
The NWC, however, nullified the suspension since it was outside the purview of the SWC to suspend a NEC member.
But the national body imposed its own suspension and asked a committee headed by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, to investigate the complaints.

The same scenario played out in Anambra State where the state Chairman, Mr. Uchenna Emordi, allegedly campaigned for a gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Chris Uba.
Emordi痴 suspension by his colleagues at the state executive was, however, reversed by the NWC, which also set up a committee to investigate the matter.

As the crucial meeting gets under way, THISDAY information has it that the party leadership is rankled over its inability to determine where the 27 governors elected on its platform stand in the desire to rally the party's support in favour of any of the candidate anointed by the President to fly the PDP flag as its presidential candidate.
Obasanjo is known to have sworn to block Atiku who last week distanced himself from reports that he held a meeting with some of the PDP governors to form another party.

THISDAY investigations, however, revealed that the possible influences of Atiku and former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, on the party痴 governors had also become a source of concern within the PDP hierarchy.

The party is said to been more worried that if it proceeded to convention with its structures in the hands of the governors across the 27 states, the possibilities of the governors swinging to victory abound.

There were strong indications last night that the PDP leadership was pointing accusing fingers at some of the governors who worked against the third term bid of Obasanjo as poaching on other governors and encouraging them to leave the party.

THISDAY, however, gathered that the governors were also uncomfortable about their political future, particularly if they supported any candidate brought forward by the President.

Already, the Benue State Governor, Chief George Akume, is believed to be holding high level consultations with the leadership of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), with a view to cross carpeting from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ANPP any moment from now.

According to THISDAY findings, the latest of such high level consultation between Akume and ANPP leadership was held in Makurdi, the Benue State capital last Wednesday where the ANPP National Convention Planning Committee Chairman, who is also the Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Adamu Aliero, and his Zamfara State counterpart, Alhaji Sani Ahmad Yerima, were said to have met for several hours with Akume.

Although details of the meeting were sketchy at press time, the ANPP team was said to be working on Akume to join ANPP before its national convention which comes up on the 1st and 2nd of September.
The ANPP is expected to elect its national officers at the convention.

THISDAY was further informed that Akume had earlier met with the National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the ANPP, the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali Modu Sherrif, to discuss his intention to cross over to the party.

The decision of Akume to dump the PDP for the ANPP, according to checks was due to his continued face-off with Obasanjo, which started with the Zaki Biam incident in 2001 where no fewer than eight villages were razed down by the Nigerian Army and unspecified number of civilians killed.

As a result of the protracted face-off, Obasanjo has not paid a state visit to Benue since Akume assumed office over seven years ago. Unofficial sources also said that the face-off was responsible for Akume's hard opposition to the botched third term project. It could not be ascertained why he opted for ANPP instead of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) where Atiku's loyalists are believed to be gathered.

Atiku's media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, has. however, distanced his boss from the Abuja meeting said to have been attended by "a dozen or so governors for the purpose of forming a new political party.

Garba said: "For the avoidance of doubt, the Vice President, Atiku Abubakar remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) which he helped to form and nurture; a party he continues to serve in all conscience with loyalty and diligence. In spite of the many challenges that the PDP faces, nothing has happened that would warrant a change in the Vice President's status or position in the party.

"In this position as a leader and co-founder of the
PDP, Atiku would continue to cherish his membership of the party. The Vice President would therefore, like the general public to disregard any information on his alleged presence at a meeting to form a new party as he was unaware of any such meeting."

PDP's spokesperson, Mr John Odey, however, told THISDAY last night that the party was not unaware of plots to poach its governors into other parties but cautioned that the governors should not leave their own house for another one that had not been built.

Odey, who spoke to THISDAY on telephone, said the party had guaranteed the political future of the governors, noting that "this is why they, the governors themselves had bunched themselves together and showing interests in the (2007) presidential race."

"We are aware they (other parties) are poaching but they (governors) should not bother themselves. They should remain focused," he said.

According to him, the fears said to have been raised by the governors are "slants being planted," adding that the governors needed not to be worried "because President Obas-anjo has returned the party to the grassroots and said that Nigerians should choose whom they want as his successor.