Politics

New PDP faction claims democratic rights

Published

9 years ago

January 3, 2018

Another PDP faction said in Abuja on Tuesday it would inaugurate members of its National Working Committee on January 22.

The Concerned Candidates and Stakeholders of the PDP is particularly angry with the PDP Governors Forum, which it described as oppressive and retrogressive.

The faction’s Director-General Emmanuel Obi-Nwosu spoke on behalf of the group at the conference held at the faction’s secretariat located in the Asokoro District of Abuja.

“Finally, the inauguration of the authentic National Working Committee of our great party will take place on Monday, the 22nd day of January, 2018. This is to enable all members of the NWC, who travelled out for holidays, to return,” he said.

“Only organs of the party as duly recognised by the party’s constitution shall henceforth function as stipulated in the constitution.

“To this end, the hitherto oppressive and retrogressive anti-democratic PDP Governors Forum, which is completely alien to the party’s constitution, is hereby proscribed.”

The factional leader said he will ensure all presidential and other elective office aspirants will be guaranteed a level playing field during the primaries.

“No more shall our party entertain any form of list, whether unity or divisive. The party constitution shall be followed to the letter in the conduct of all future party elections,” he said.

Obi-Nwosu also added his group has been up and doing in efforts to resolve internal dispute rocking the party—contrary to insinuation it is working against the on-going peace process in the party.

“What happened at Eagle Square does not require reconciliation but restitution. What we are doing is to ensure that what was done wrong is done right. What we need in PDP now is thorough internal party democracy,” he said.

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According to him, what his faction is doing is part of internal mechanism to ensure that the PDP does not go down.

He said the BoT Chairman Walid Jibrin called him “personally and said he had gone for medical checks and when he returns we will have a meeting.”

He said that rather than take laws into their hands, they decided to open their own secretariat, adding that fractionalism is allowed in every democracy.

“It is our fundamental right as contained in the Constitution. We have a right of freedom of association.”

But the big shots in the PDP, including national Chairman Uche Secondus, said factions like Nwosu’s should be arrested and jailed in a healthy democracy.

The Fresh PDP, the first splinter, broke off the party shortly after the December 9 national congress.