The hope of an amicable resolution of the PDP crisis may have been foreclosed, Wednesday, as the 7 Governors, 22 senators and 57 members of the Federal House of Representatives who have expressed support for the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will have their offices declared vacant, National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur threatened on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Tukur branded members of the breakaway faction as “undemocratic and unpatriotic elements” out to cause division and confusion among the people, and then went on to restate his resolve to hang on to the chairmanship of the party.
Hear him:“Gentlemen of the press, you are aware of the current developments in our great party. Our reason for being here is to inform you without any iota of doubt that the Peoples Democratic Party has no faction and there is neither room nor reason whatsoever for such a claim under any guise,” he said.
“The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) under my chairmanship. I wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons parading themselves as leaders of NEC or any other organ of our party are impostors and I urge all Nigerians, especially the security agencies and other institutions of democracy to regard them as such.”
He described PDP as the “sole custodian of the sacred mandate of over 160 million Nigerians” that has “lifted high the banner of democracy” in the last 14 years, and as such will not watch while some “undemocratic and unpatriotic elements” destroy the common destiny of the party by causing divisions and confusion among the people.
“Consequently, we shall ensure that any person who is not duly elected into any leadership position in our great party and has not been duly assigned any role but goes ahead to arrogate such to himself will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Tukur added.
“Similarly, all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law.
“We shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions.”
He then urged all aggrieved members of the party to take advantage of the “adequate mechanism” in place for internal conflict resolution.
“All party members are therefore advised to ventilate their grievances through this medium,” he said. “There is only one lawfully recognised PDP and I am firmly in charge.”
Recall that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and seven PDP governors stormed out of the party’s convention at the Eagles Square, Abuja on Saturday to another venue, where they announced a breakaway faction of the party.
Atiku and the seven governors — Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) — named former National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as chairman of the faction and former National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as Secretary.
If the ruling party make good its promise, indications are rife that the new faction will move to Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM),which is one of new parties the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registered recently.
