PDP set to expel G 7 govs...

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), buoyed by the double setback suffered on Thursday by the Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led group, has concluded plans to summon six of the G 7 governors to appear before the newly-appointed Disciplinary Committee headed by Second Republic Transport Minister, Umaru Dikko.

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Strong indications, also emerged that the party has set in motion machinery to expel the governors if they fail to accept the decision of the disciplinary committee. The Dikko-led committee was appointed on Thursday, the same day two hurdles stood the way of the faction, otherwise known as the new PDP in its quest to unseat the Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP- the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) denied the factional group recognition even as a Lagos High Court struck out a case instituted against the PDP NWC.
The invitation to the governors, Sunday Mirror learnt, might come shortly after the inauguration of the disciplinary committee on Thursday October 17. Other members of the committee beside Dikko include Ebenezer Babatope (deputy chairman), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Alh. Shuaibu Oyedokun, Hajiya Nana Aishat Quadir, Barrister Hussaini Duraki Kazaer and Barrister Onwe S. Onwe (Secretary).
The governors to face the committee are Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Muritala Nyako (Adamawa); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).
Their Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi is not likely to be summoned because of a pending case involving him and the party. But as the new PDP said it was aware of the move and was prepared to react on today, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, feigned ignorance of the planned move to invite the governors.
“I am not aware of any such move; the disciplinary committee is a statutory body of the party.
This is not the first; it is about the six or seventh of such, so the question of summons to any governor does not arise. At best, we are committed to resolving our differences”, he said.
Regardless, a source close to the PDP NWC confided in our reporter that “the coast was clear to deal with the situation now. “I think the coast is becoming clearer by the day to deal with the situation regarding the crisis in the party because we have to instill discipline at all cost no matter is involved.
“At first, we considered the idea of taking appropriate steps to sanction these people but you know our judiciary is becoming more and more active these days; you cannot predict what it could come out with at any time. “But as things are now, the law is beginning to take its course with the judicial pronouncement and the position of INEC on the issues raised by the so-called new PDP; I think they have reached their power-end because INEC is the arbiter on issues like these, they have come to realise that they were fighting a lost battle in the first place.”
On the next step to be taken by the party in resolving the impasse, the source said there was no impasse in the party. “As far as majority of us are concerned, there is no problem in the party, only a few of our members went out of track to form what they call new PDP; I think with the setting up of the disciplinary committee, they will be invited to come and explain what they mean by new PDP; it is as simple as that because the party rules are clear on that”, he said.
But Metuh said the process of reconciliation was still on course and that the setting up of the disciplinary committee was not a witch-hunt. Spokesman of the Baraje group, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze confirmed that the new PDP was aware of the setting up of the disciplinary committee ‘and its intended purposes’.
“We are very much on top of the situation, we are aware of what is happening especially the setting up of the disciplinary committee and its intended purposes; but of course they know that it is Tukur who should be the first to appear before the committee to explain how he got back to the PDP after his expulsion from the party.
“But that is by the way; on Sunday (today), we shall make our official position known on the composition of the disciplinary committee and other sundry matters”, Eze told Sunday Mirror.
It will be recalled that INEC, in a letter to the new PDP in its request to have recognition of the Tukurled NWC quashed, said it could not reverse itself having monitored both the 2012 and 2013 national conventions that brought Tukur on board.
The commission was responding to two separate letters dated September 1 and 23, 2013 by the Barajeled New PDP asking that it should be recognised as the real PDP.

NATIONAL MIRROR