[b]The New Peoples Peoples
Democratic Party has called for
the resignation of the National
Chairman of the party, Dr.
Bamanga Tukur, on the
grounds that he had been
dismissed from the party.
The faction of the ruling party,
which is being led by a former
Acting National Chairman of the
party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, said
that Tukur had been dismissed
from the party since 2006.
It said that since then, there
was no record to show that the
former governor of old Gongola
State had been recalled or
granted a waiver by the party’s
leadership.
Tukur has however frowned on
the accusation, saying it is one
of the pranks of the aggrieved
group to get him out of office.
He said none of those making
the allegation was in
possession of any document to
show that he was actually
excommunicated from the
party.
But the New PDP in a statement
by its National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Chukwuemeka
Eze, in Abuja on Sunday, insisted
that Tukur and nine other
members of the party were
expelled from the party 13 years
ago for anti-party activities.
Because of this, he said Tukur
was not fit to lead the party.
Eze said, “Tukur was expelled
from the PDP in 2006 with nine
others following disciplinary
action taken against them for
anti-party activities.
“Since then, he has not officially
returned to the party. All the
records at our disposal show
that Tukur has not followed due
process for his readmission into
the party.
“He neither apply for, nor
obtained the requisite waiver
by the National Executive
Committee of the party before
offering himself for election into
the office of the National
Chairman in 2012.
“This makes his membership
incurably defective and his
emergence as PDP’s National
Chairman null and void and of
no effect whatsoever since he is
the product of a flawed
process.”
Because of this, he said all
actions taken as the chairman
of PDP since his “purported
election in March 2012,
including the illegal, contentious
convention of August, 2013, are
null and void and of no effect.”
Eze urged Tukur to tow the
path of honour and throw in
the towel, which he described
as the best option open to him.
Eze suggested that Baraje
should be recalled to take over
from Tukur, an action he said
would enable the former
chairman “to organise a proper,
unified convention that will
usher in a duly elected National
Working Committee of the party
as early as possible to enable us
face the business of positioning
PDP as the ruling party come
2015.”
But Tukur, who spoke to our
correspondent on the
telephone through his Media
Assistant, Mr. Oliver Okpala, said
he had paid his due in the party
and that there was nothing to
show that he was once expelled
as a member.
He said, “It is a mere allegation.
None of those making the
allegation has any letter or
document to prove their point.
Therefore, it is a mere fallacy.
“I can tell you that such a thing
never happened. It is part of the
antics of the aggrieved
members to give credence to
their rebellion against the
party.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the
House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriation,
Mr. John Enoh, on Sunday
denied that he had joined the
Abubakar Baraje-led faction of
the Peoples Democratic Party.
Enoh is from Cross River State,
whose Governor, Mr. Liyel
Imoke, belongs to the Old PDP
faction led by the National
Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga
Tukur.
A newspaper (not The PUNCH)
had reported that the lawmaker
engaged in discussions with
the Baraje faction in a bid to
open its Cross River State
branch.[/b]

Perhaps when these people decide what they are, whether or not they are a part of pdp, they can start making demands...