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Four days after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven serving state governors broke away to form the ‘New PDP’, the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, this afternoon dismissed talks of factionalisation, declaring that he is firmly in charge.
Addressing the press at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, Tukur threatened that “all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law.”
At least 22 Senators and 57 Members of the House of Representatives have reportedly pitched their tent with the rebel camp.
But, according to Tukur, “Without any iota of doubt that the Peoples Democratic Party has no faction and there is neither room nor reason whatsoever for such a claim under any guise.”
“The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) under my Chairmanship. I wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons parading themselves as leaders of NEC or any other organ of our party are impostors and I urge all Nigerians, especially the security agencies and other institutions of democracy to regard them as such.”
The PDP supremo stated “categorically that the PDP as the sole custodian of the sacred mandate of over 160 million Nigerians and who in the last fourteen years has lifted high the banner of democracy will not fold its arms while some undemocratic and unpatriotic elements destroy our common destiny by causing divisions and confusion among the people.”
Continuing, he said: “Consequently, we shall ensure that any person who is not duly elected into any leadership position in our great party and has not been duly assigned any role but goes ahead to arrogate such to himself will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“We shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions.
“I wish to emphasize that the PDP has adequate mechanism for internal conflict resolution. All party members are therefore advised to ventilate their grievances through this medium. There is only one lawfully recognized PDP and I am firmly in charge.”
•Photo shows Tukur.
