The New PDP has condemned the Umaru Dikko-led National Disciplinary Committee of the PDP set up by Bamanga Tukur. In a statement released by the Baraje-led faction, the PDP stated that the committee was set up to witch hunt its faction members.
The statement continued: “By reviving the so-called disciplinary committee at a time the party leader, His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan, is busy holding peace meetings with the Baraje-led PDP, shows that Tukur is working at cross purposes with Mr. President.
“To call a spade a spade, it is tantamount to anti-party activity and exposes Tukur’s hypocrisy and vindicates our stand that he is an obstacle to peace in our great party.
“If indeed a disciplinary committee has been set up by Tukur, we make bold to say that he should be the first with his illegal NWC members to appear before it for usurping the office of the national chairman of our party even when he is not legally a member of the party; as he did not revalidate his membership of the party during the 2011 revalidation exercise.
“We commend our brother, Chief Olisa Metuh, the former National Publicity Secretary of our party, on his theory of institutional memory loss. Ironically, Metuh was referring to himself as he succeeded in exposing his ignorance about the party he assumes to be speaking for.”
The statement continued: “How can any sound member of PDP describe a party that still has Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of the Federal Republic, as a member as not knowing the history and records of the party?
“For the record, Atiku Abubakar, apart from being a principal member of the PDP, also recruited both Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Alh. Gambo Jimeta, Senator Jonathan Zwingina and Chief Joel Madaki, among others, to the party in 1988 through Chief Nat Yaduma.
“Metuh should properly research into the records of people in the Baraje-led PDP before trying to deceive Nigerians with his lies arising from institutional memory loss.”
The faction also said the Umaru Dikko committeeit should immediately investigate why Tukur, “a non-member of the party”, should be elected national chairman.
“If this step is not taken, the committee should try and save the nation from looking at our party as a funny and unserious group by dissolving itself on its own accord.
“In this regard, we still maintain that all actions assumed to have been performed by Tukur since his assumed election in 2012 as our party national chairman stand null and void and of no effect.
“This includes the last disputed special convention of the party where somes of the aides of President Jonathan who were not delegates voted to elect the outgone NWC of PDP,” the statement added.