- Insists preparations for its national convention in good stead
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded for one hundred percent loyalty from all its members, warning those involved in anti-party activities, especially those endorsing candidates of other political parties, to desist.
The party, while speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba in Abuja on Wednesday, made it categorically clear that
disloyalty from members will no longer be tolerated.
The demand for total loyalty May not be unconnected with the recent activities of party members, especially the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, former governor of Ekiti State Ayodele Fayose and others who have been hobnobbing with the ruling party and publicly endorsing the second term agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Ologunagba, at a press conference he addressed at the party’s National headquarters, Wadata House, Abuja, declared that the party will sanction members working against the interest of the party in line with the party’s constitution.
His words, “Loyalty is a personal thing and when you’re in a party like this, we have said we demand it. If at any point we find out that you don’t give it, the constitution will kick in.
“We demand 100% loyalty from our members. We have issued that statement. That statement is working. That’s our position today”, he said.
While stressing that membership of a political party is voluntary, Ologunagba was confidence that those who left the party will come back.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, he pointed out our,
has directed the National Legal Adviser to take all the necessary steps to ensure that it retrieves its mandate from those that defected, especially elected members of the National Assembly.
In his words, “Again membership of the party is voluntary. There’s an easy entry, easy exit. What we will not take is disloyalty to this party.
“What we are asking for is an absolute 100% loyalty. That’s what we demand from our members.
“So if anybody wants to leave the party, which we hope they don’t, because it will be a voyage of no discovery, they should rather stay back here, because this is the only political party where you can achieve your goals and aspirations in politics.
“Ninety percent of those that are gone, of course, they had their tutelage in PDP. So it tells you that there’s something unique and that ticks in PDP. So we welcome people that want to come back.
“Some were taken out by anger. Some were taken out by misinformation, but now we’re stable, and we’re strong, and we’re pushing towards the National Convention.
“This is the right time to come back and we are willing. But what the party will not take disloyalty. It’s going to be total loyalty. And we demand it. We’re going to enforce it. We’ll use our constitution.
“We’ll not be brash. We’ll be right-thinking. We’ll be accommodating but we’ll be fair. That’s what we’ll do”, he stated.
Ologunagba re-emphasized that the zonal congresses of the PDP at the south south conducted by the faction loyal to Wike, where Dan Orbih emerged as Vice Chairman (South south), remains a nullity.
According to him, “This party is based on rules, processes, that every member is subjected to. So we are guided by those rules, by the provision of the constitution, by our guidelines and our rules.
“In March this year, the tenure of the South-South Zonal Committee expired by an effusion of time.
“What we did was to set up, in line with the provisions of the constitution of the party, a Zonal Caretaker Committee for the South-South, headed by Elder Emmanuel Ogidi.
“That committee, in line with the processes of the party, was inaugurated formally.
“And that committee has since started work. They’ve been working seamlessly. So there can only be one way to have that process. That process has been followed”, he stated.
It will be recalled that in his recent monthly media chat, the FCT Minister had threatened that there will be fresh crisis in the party if the south-south zonal convention that took place in calabar was not upheld by the party.
According to Wike, “Our South-South zonal congress that was held must be upheld. There’s no doubt, no two words about it.
“Now, when we were doing our South-South congress, the Acting national chairman claimed that the PDP governors were not in support of the National Congress.
“Where are the PDP governors now? Our congress was held in Calabar and there’s nothing anybody can tell us.”
“If they want another round of crisis, so be it. Our congress held and Daniel Orbi emerged as the national vice chairman of the congress. And the Court allowed for the congress to hold”, he stated.
However, Ologunagba dismissed those conditions, saying, “PDP has not, and will not even take condition from anybody. We will follow our constitution anyway.
“We have a South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee and they’ve been functioning as such.
“When congresses to fill those vacancies on parliament comes in, every eligible member from that zone are entitled to contest”, he stressed.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP reassured that preparations for a peaceful national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, is ongoing and that all committees and sub-commitees’ members are working to ensure that it is a very huge success.
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