Posted by From Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja on
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, yesterday warned 'recalcitrant state governors and members" to desist from frustrating the party's reconciliation efforts.....
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, yesterday warned 'recalcitrant state governors and members" to desist from frustrating the party's reconciliation efforts or risk expulsion from the PDP.
Speaking at the party's National Secretariat in Abuja when he received in audience a delegation of Kogi State Chapter of the party led by the State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, the national chairman said that the olive branch that the party had extended to them should not be mistaken for weakness.
'Our olive branch to recalcitrant members is not a sign of weakness. If you are governors and members of the party and you continue to act in defiance of the party directives, we will show you the way out," he said.
He stated that the party's constitution would be strictly applied to members who left the party and would want to return to the fold.
Although the national chairman did not specify the governors and members he referred to, his warning might be a veiled reference to Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Governors Boni Haruna (Adamawa), Orji Kalu (Abia), Abdullahi Kure (Niger) and George Akume (Benue) who had been in a bitter fight with the party hierarchy.
The party's reconciliation efforts had hit brick walls in many states as members divided down the line by President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku, failed to reach consensus.
In fact, in a couple of states, aggrieved members demanded the dissolution of the Ali-led executive as the sole condition for peace, contending that it had no constitutional base to continue to stand.
But Ali said yesterday that such members' position was misconceived and that they would be shown the red card shortly, warning that should they show remorse and move to be readmitted, they would lose their seniority, consistent with the provisions of the constitution.
The national chairman specifically singled out former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na'Abba, former member of the party's Board of Trustees, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, former National Chairman of the party, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and three others for mention and said they were out of the party for good.
According to him, the former party leaders had formally resigned their membership.
Dismissing them as mere adventurers, he said that if they wanted to come back, they would take their position from the rear. He also said that should the former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun, whom he also described as an adventurer, want to return to the party, he would have to take his position from the rear.
According to him, 'Our party is growing from strength to strength. Do not be deceived by those jokers who just exist on the pages of newspapers. They are not only confused, but also derailed. They accused us of not contesting elections. If we did not, how did they lose their seats or positions?
'Some of them took part in fraud. We got the report of the committee that investigated them and we decided to throw them away. They went to a party with the aim of splitting the PDP. But for anybody to embrace ‘ACID' (referring to Advanced Congress of Democrats, ACD), I am sorry for him or her.
'ACID (referring to ACD) cannot fly. It is like a child with a broken back-bone. When they saw that they were going nowhere, they tried to return to factionalise the PDP".
He declared, 'PDP has no faction. I have set up reconciliation committees to go round the country to reconcile feuding members. All that these people have to do is to drop their adventures".
Ali said that the fortunes of the PDP were rising, citing, for instance, the planned reception of Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Saminu Turaki, and his entire Executive Committee members into the party on July 7, this year.
Turaki, who is serving his second term of office, won his governorship election on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Obviously happy about the development, Ali told the audience not to be distracted by 'adventurers".
According to him, 'Remain steadfast. The carpet has been removed from under the feet of Na'Abba and Rimi by Alhaji Ibrahim Little and his numerous followers in Kano who recently defected to the PDP".
The national chairman appealed to members of the party in Kogi State to embrace peace, bury their pride and arrogance and go to register.
He said that the potentialities of the state were enormous, pointing out, 'We cannot harness them by fighting one another".
Ali stated that the party would soon go for its primaries, adding that the reform the party was embarking on 'has broadened the democratic space so that more will participate rather than few." He said the guidelines for the congresses and national convention would soon be ratified by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
Speaking on the occasion witnessed by members of the National Working Committee (NWC), Governor Idris said the delegation came to show solidarity to Ali and to reassure him that the state chapter remained solid behind him.
'We have come from Kogi to show our solidarity and to tell you that the state is 100 per cent behind you. We are proud to be associated with you. Kogi is almost a one-party state; we are firmly together and you can be sure that Kogi State will be delivered 100 per cent to the PDP in the next elections", he said.
State Chairman of the party, Chief John Odawn, in his speech urged Ali not to be distracted by those 'bent on destroying the very house they helped to build", stressing, 'We have implicit and unwavering confidence in your leadership style and abilities.
'We remain solidly behind you; you have swum in troubled waters before in the course of your discharging previous national assignments. You will swim with deft strokes even in the present troubled waters.
'Our hearts and our thoughts are with you and we wish you and our great party well as you prepare for special ward congresses, plan for nationwide party primaries at all levels of government and poise for unprecedented electoral victory for our party".