Tukur Must Go - nPDP insists

 

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  had reported that the lawmaker engaged in discussions with the Baraje faction in a bid to open its Cross River State branch.