The chairman of the aggrieved splinter group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abubakar Kawu Baraje has described the post convention party organized by president Goodluck Jonathan as a “sheer waste of resources”.
Baraje revealed that the group however, shunned the party because they believed it was an event borne out of misplaced priority from the presidency.
According to a statement by the National Publicity secretary of the New PDP, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, it was noted that the decision of the Presidency to host PDP members to a lavish party at the weekend was an indication that the government deeply concerned about the welfare of the people.
Baraje argued that most of the members of the New PDP did not attend “the so-called post-convention dinner of PDP” was that the dinner was seen as anattempt of the Tukur-led faction to give “credibility to the charade that was called PDP Special National Convention”.
Besides, in reaction to the statement, National Publicity Secretary of the Tukur –led faction, Olisa Metuh, noted that the PDP was not ready to willing to engage the breakaway group in another round of public wrangling so as not to put a clog in the wheelof progress of the on-going reconciliation attempts of the party elders.
“We will not exchange words with our aggrieved brothers. Reconciliation is on-going and we will not provoke a dislocation of the reconciliation”, Metuh was quoted to have said.
It was also stated that the issue of strikes by various industrial unions coupled with the untoward attitude of the presidency is an indication of leadership failure.
“This is a sign of a man chasing a rat while his house is on fire,” the statement read.
The statement further read thus: “As a serious group, we cannot be a party to such squandermania while Nigerian masses are wallowing in abject poverty and our children kept at home instead of being in school because the Federal Government could not meet ASUU’s demands.
“We wish to have nothing to do with such wasting of public funds and such trivialities associated with Alhaji Tukur and his leadership – which explains why he must be kicked out of the National Secretariat of the party.
“We cannot be a party to such a gathering while the PDP family is facing serious crisis that if not checked would dim the party’s chances of winning future elections.
“We wish to advise those trivialising President Jonathan contesting or not contesting the 2015 election with threats and acting in such a manner as if only the Ijaw are capable of voting him or another person as the President of Nigeria in a country of over 300 tribes, to think wisely.
“In this regard, we commend and congratulate the thousands of Bayelsa people who have wisely decided to team up with the PDP under the chairmanship of Alhaji Abubakar Baraje to salvage our party from imminent disintegration under Alhaji Tukur.
“We assure these great minds that they will be fully protected under our umbrella.”
The New PDP also warned the Tukur-led faction to desist from rainning insults on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other loyal members of the New PDP because of their “desire to salvage the PDP.”
Baraje said that such action could jeopardize the ambitions of the president to run for election again in 2015, adding that the such statements were “exasperating, disgusting, unacceptable and very unfortunate.”
“We have heard about the threat to suspend or expel state Governors and members of the National Assembly that are indentifying with the true leadership of PDP under Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje.
“We have also heard them abusing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and calling him an ingrate just because he 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 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 (Rotimi) Amaechi is a traitor for standing firm to his rights and likewise most of our people that have stuck their heads out to restore the party to the path of honour and democratic tenants.
“We consider some of these statements unbecoming of a leader of Alhaji Tukur’s stature as we pray that he will find time to purge himself of some of these undemocratic postures that are tearing the great umbrella apart’, it was stated.
Meanwhile, Tukur’s group has filed a fresh suit wherein it sought to prosecute the New PDP for announcing the composition of a National Working Committee (NWC).
According to reports, in the contempt motion, the PDP is praying a Lagos State High Court to commit leaders of the ‘New PDP’ to prison for allegedly violating an order made by Justice Ganiyu Safari for the factions to maintain status quo.
Tukurs group also seeks an order committing all the alleged contemnors to prison for a term of one year for alleged criminal contempt.
The Tukur -led group claimed the New PDP had obstructed the administration of justice by subverting the court’s processes and engaging in overt acts of defiance and violation of an order made on September 2.
It is pertinent to recall that Justice Safari had at the weekend ordered in a ruling that “parties maintain the status quo ante pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction”.