PDP Train Will Leave You Behind, Tukur Tells Atiku, Aggrieved Governors September 5, 2013 - 21:38 — siteadmin By SaharaReporters, New York The factional national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur, has warned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a group of seven aggrieved governors of the party who formed a splinter group that the party’s train will leave them behind. He urged them to retrace their steps before it is too late. Mr. Atiku and Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), and Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara) had walked out of the party’s recent special convention that held at the Eagle Square, Abuja. The former vice president, the seven governors and other disaffected party members then met at the Musa Yar’Adua Convention Center where they released a list of grievances against the Bamanga Tukur-led party. In addition, they announced their formation of the new PDP, electing Baraje as the chairman of their faction. The Baraje faction has since gone to court seeking a declaration that Mr. Tukur should stop parading himself as the party’s chairman. But in one of his most direct responses to the growing splinter group, Mr. Tukur described them as prodigal sons. He made the comments while giving opening remarks at a seminar jointly organized by the offices of the party’s national women and youth leaders. Women and youths drawn from the 36 states of the federation attended the seminar. Mr. Tukur said that the recent split in the party “is something of concern but it is also something that can happen in a family. You can quarrel but all should really be resolved within the house not outside. Anyone who has a son or daughter who [leaves], we call them prodigal son or daughter. If they go [and come back] we can say welcome back prodigal son.” Mr. Tukur added: “But, of course, if you are coming back you will also have the consequences for taking a wrong step. You have to reconnect and correct your wrong step. If you don’t, the PDP train will move without you.” In her remarks, the PDP’s national women leader, Kema Chikwe, said the party was facing challenging times because of the “morbid quest for power by unreasonable members of the party.” Ms. Chikwe served as a minister in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. At a past convention of the party, she had declared that there would be no opposition to President Goodluck Jonathan’s quest to secure a second term in 2015.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 21:44:13 +0000
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