The saying that “A house divided against itself cannot stand” seems to be the general believe as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has been told that it will be disastrous to force any of the six governors from the North-West out of the party.
The party in the zone also stated that none of the governors had done anything wrong to warrant suspension from the party.
The Vice Chairman of the party in the North-West, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday.
He was reacting to the suspension of the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, from the party by its National Working Committee last Wednesday.
Announcing the suspension, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, had said the governor was suspended because he was rude to Tukur.
His suspension came few days after the party announced the suspension of the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, from the party.
Justifying Wamakko’s suspension, Metuh said the governor was axed after the party had carried out wide and exhaustive consultations in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Metuh, in a statement, said the governor was rude to the office of Tukur, and therefore, needed to be disciplined.
But Kazaure said all the six governors in the zone were loyal to the party, including Wamakko.
There are seven states in the North-West; six of them are being governed by the PDP.
The states under the rule of the PDP are Sokoto, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina and Kano. Only Zamfara State is being ruled by the opposition, the All Nigeria People’s Party.
Kazaure said Wamakko did not do anything wrong to deserve his summary suspension from the party, adding that members of the party in the state and the zone were solidly behind him.
He said, “The PDP in the zone is solidly behind the six governors, including the governor of Sokoto State.
“He has not done anything wrong to warrant his suspension from the party at any level.
“Let it be known that we are going to remain in the party and nobody can force any of the governors, and even members, out of the PDP.
“If anyone has such ambition or think it is possible to do, tell the person he would fail. In fact, he has failed.”
Asked if the suspension of the governor would not make him or any of his colleagues to seek help in another party, especially the newly formed All Progressives Congress, Kazaure answered in the negative.
He said, “How would you leave your own house, where you are a landlord to go and bea tenant in an uncompleted building?”
Meanwhile, there were fears that the suspension of Wamakko, which came few days after Amaechi was suspended, was creating tension among the governors and members of the party.
The tension, it was gathered, had been communicated to the headquarters of the party in Abuja.
This was the reason, according to sources, why the national leadership of the party asked Metuh to issue a statement, asking its members to remain calm and that the disagreements would be resolved.