New PDP hammers Tukur again

The Alhaji Kawu Baraje faction of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has advised Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to purge himself of what it described as his ‘undemocratic postures’ that is tearing the party apart.

Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the National Publicity Secretary of the new PDP said this in a statement he issued in response to accusation by Tukur, the chairman of the other faction of PDP that the Governor Rotimi Amaechi is sponsoring Nigeria’s main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress.

The new PDP described the statement as ‘exasperating, disgusting, unacceptable and very unfortunate.’ The new PDP also condemned allegations as well as threats against its other leaders at a meeting Tukur held with chairmen of State chapters of PDP loyal to him in Abuja yesterday.

The new PDP said such statements are not only inflammatory, but are capable of derailing the ongoing peace efforts being championed by some elders of the party led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It also advised Tukur to desisit from making statements that are not only false but also capable of overheating the polity and creating more troubles for President Goodluck Jonathan. The new PDP advised Tukur to tell the President to find ways to wriggle himself out of the myriad of problems so far created by some misguided elements surrounding him.

The statement reads in part: “We have heard about the threat to suspend or expel State Governors and members of the National Assembly that are identifying with the true leadership of PDP under Alh Abubakar Kawu Baraje.

“We have also heard them abusing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and calling him an ingrate just because he has decided to identify with our campaign for justice in the PDP of which he was a leading founding father and was instrumental to the payment of both the staff salaries of those working at the National Headquarters of the party and paid the rent for the National Secretariat in which some of these funny elements are currently operating from for three good years!

“To this group Governor Amaechi is a traitor for standing firm to his rights and likewise most of our people that have stuck their heads to restore the party to the path of honour and democratic tenants.

“We consider some of these statements unbecoming of a leader of Alh. Tukur’s stature as we pray that he will found time to purge himself of some of these undemocratic postures that is tearing the great umbrella apart.

“By these acts, Alhaji Tukur has demonstrated that he is intolerant, undemocratic and incapable of leading a democratic party like PDP.

“We urge him and members of his cabinet to stop making inflammatory statements capable of derailing the efforts of the Elders Committee of the party under the leadership of His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR to restore normalcy and unity amongst PDP members.

“ He and his co-travelers should give some respect to members of the Elders Committee comprising eminent personalities such as former President Ibrahim Babangida, the BOT Chairman, Chief Tony Aninh and former National Chairmen of the party, among them Alhaji Ahmadu Ali and Dr. Barnabas Gemade.

“This is necessary so as to allow peace to be restored to our great party.

“We also find unfortunate Alhaji Tukur’s allegation that Gov. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State is sponsoring the activities of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

“This is yet another reckless statement. If we may ask, on what basis would Gov Amaechi be sponsoring the activities of APC? Is he a member of APC? Are there not enough State Governors in APC to sponsor its activities so that Gov Amaechi, whose preoccupation is the development of Rivers State, would have to sponsor the party?

“Elders like Alhaji Tukur should refrain from making statements that are not only false but also capable of overheating the polity and creating more troubles for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and allow Mr. President to find ways to wriggle himself out of the myriad of problems so far created by some misguided elements surrounding him.

“Though we know that most of the actors and members of Tukur’s NWC are not among the founding fathers of PDP which perhaps explains the strange way they have been running the party.

“We will like to put it on record that we the patriotic members of PDP will not be either intimidated or harassed out of the party as we are on a mission not only to rediscover the PDP but also to imbibe in the members the vision of the founding fathers of the party and restore internal democracy in the party.