Elder statesman and former Minister
of Information, Chief Edwin Clark,
Thursday called on the National
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,
to drag the seven governors who
formed a splinter group from the
mainstream PDP to the party’s
disciplinary committee headed by
Alhaji Umaru Dikko.
He also described the visit of the All
Progressive Congress (APC) including
former Head of State, General
Muhammadu Buhari (rtd); national
leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu
and others as a show of shame.
Addressing a press conference in his
residence, Clark charged Tukur to
ensure discipline within the party.
He said, “My national chairman, the
PDP is the governing party in the
country. You have a duty therefore,
to prevent the distraction, the
insolence and the tension being
created by these governors, who
have no regard for you and the
National Working Committee [NWC].
You must do something
immediately to save the image of
this great party.”
According to Clark, “Lamido,
Amaechi and their counterparts
from Sokoto (Aliyu Wamakko),
Adamawa (Murtala Nyako), Kano
(Rabiu Kwankwaso) and Niger
(Babangida Aliyu) are not behaving
like disciplined party members and
should be made to toe the party line
or get kicked out. The party is
greater than any other party leader
including yourself.
“On the errant governors, the PDP
must be firm, resolute, and
discipline must be enforced.
Nobody is above the law. Any errant
member of the party must be
brought to book. Everybody is
ambitious, they want to be this or
that, and there is no law and order.
There is no respect for the party.
Nobody controls them. Everyone of
them makes speeches. There must
be discipline.”
On a specific note, he said,
“Amaechi in particular, has no
regard for the PDP. He has become
supreme. He no longer has regard
for his party. That’s indiscipline.
Either he gets out of the party, or he
toes the party line. That arrogance
must be stopped and his open
romance with the opposition must
also stop. His financial contribution
to the opposition must also stop.
“Aliyu, Wamako, Kwankwaso and
Nyako are trying to make this
country ungovernable for President
Goodluck Jonathan, in the name of
‘gang of seven’. I think if they are
loyal party members and they are
dissatisfied with the party’s
administration, their consultation
should be limited to the party
hierarchy and, of course, there is a
Party Reconciliation Committee
headed by the Governor of Bayelsa
State, Hon. Seriake Dickson.They are
not faithful to the party and they
have their secret agenda.
“ It is amazing to see these seven
governors parading themselves as
saints when, in fact, most of them
breached the party’s constitution to
be installed as governors of their
states by the former President in
2007.
"Most of them were not elected in
the primaries. Curiously, this gang of
seven governors should focus their
attention on the security crisis facing
their states.”
He explained that some of G7
governors do not even care for the
welfare of the victims of Boko
Haram in their state, stating that
instead of staying in their states, they
are moving from state to state
causing confusion and tension. I
think they should be ashamed of
themselves for a mission
unaccomplished. They should be
suspended immediately and
referred to the disciplinary
committee. Nobody is greater than
the party, Even the President is not.”
I wish to condemn the activities of
the 11 Governors of APC and their
leaders in their open and offensive
lobbying of the G7 to join them
without decency and their action
may create crisis leading to
insecurity."
On the visit of the APC leaders, to
Port Harcourt, Clark described it as a
show of shame, saying:, “According
to the Police and the airport
authority, Amaechi and his
supporters invaded the Tarmac of
the airport which is a “no go area”
for none passengers and planes
which were to land in Port Harcourt,
have to be diverted to other
Airports.
He further said, having listened to
the Rivers State governor, it was
difficult to understand whether he
was intoxicated with power or
something was wrong with him
when he made sarcastic,
irresponsible and senseless remarks
that he will consult the President
before responding to APC’s request
to join them and that day, the new
stadium which will take 40,000
people will be filled to capacity. I will
not be surprised, the tension and
the pressure is now responsible for
his cracking.”