You’ll go to jail – Baraje tells Tukur By SAMINU IBRAHIM, Abuja • Anenih cautions on PDP crisis The new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Baraje has said it has asked its lawyers to press a contempt charge against Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP National Chairman, for flouting the orders of a Lagos High Court which asked both sides to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of the case before it on who should lead the party. This was happening as the PDP BoT Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday, called for caution on the lingering crisis in the party. A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the National Secretary of the Baraje-led PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, condemned the press conference addressed by Tukur in Abuja on Wednesday where he threatened to sack members of the National Assembly who have declared support for the Baraje faction and arrest the group’s officers. The statement said: “We have asked our lawyers to press contempt charges against Tukur because his statement was made in clear contempt of the orders of Lagos High Court which, three days ago, asked both sides to maintain the status quo. We will ask the court to commit him to jail for his disdain for the law and the judicial system. “We have always been saying it that Tukur represents everything that must not be seen in a democratic organisation. His statement demonstrates not just impunity, but also lawlessness and crass ignorance of the tenets of the law and democratic ethos. “Tukur displayed his disdain for law and order with his threat to order the arrest of law abiding persons in a democracy. We ask what powers he has under our laws to make that statement and what gave him the impression that Nigeria has become a police state where impunity reigns and citizens can be arrested at the whim of any power drunk tzar. Fortunately, our country is a democracy under the rule of law and not under the rule of man. The police and our other security agencies cannot be used to further such agenda as being nurtured in the dictatorial mind of Tukur.” It stated further: “Again, we believe only an ignorant person would threaten to sack elected senators and members of the House of Representatives for staying on the side of truth, justice and fairness. Tukur needs be reminded that members of the National Assembly were elected by the people of Nigeria and not his appointees who he could dismiss like the minions in his private residence. “He called the Alhaji Baraje- led leadership of our party impostors and we ask him if he does not know that the endorsement of our cause by elected representatives of our people across all tiers of government has vindicated our position that what we represent in the party today is what the people want. We challenge him to call out those who are with him, even as we add that Tukur should come to terms with the reality of the end of his reign of terror, impunity, dictatorship and lawlessness in our party.” The new PDP said, “On our part, we reassert our commitment to the consolidation of democracy, peace, love, unity, people-centered development and, above all, the rule of law in our march towards progress and development. More importantly, we assure our teeming associates and well wishers that we shall conduct our party’s business with patriotism, resourcefulness, truth, justice and fair play as demanded of a political organization with a vision and mission.” However, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday intervened in the lingering crisis in the party with a fresh call on leaders and members to stop making inflammatory statements that are capable of undermining the ongoing efforts at reconciliation. In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Anenih said making pre-emptive statements amid reconciliation process was disrespectful to President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership at whose instance the reconciliation efforts are being made.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 04:44:49 +0000
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