The Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this evening demanded the immediate resignation of the party’s national Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, saying that “he is not a registered and card-carrying member of the party and so has no business being its National Chairman.”

According the the New PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, “Alhaji Tukur was expelled from the PDP in 2006 with nine others as a result following disciplinary action taken against them for anti-party activities. Since then, he has not officially returned to the party. All the records at our disposal show that Alhaji Tukur has not followed due process for his readmission into the party. He neither apply for, nor obtained the requisite waiver by the National Executive Committee of the party before offering himself for election into the office of National Chairman in 2012. This makes his membership incurably defective and his emergence as PDP’s National Chairman null and void and of no effect whatsoever since he is the product of a flawed process. “Consequently, all the actions he has taken as the Chairman of PDP since his purported election in March 2012, including the illegal, contentious convention of August, 2013, are null and void and of no effect.”

The statement cited “reliable information from the PDP National Secretariat” as indicating “that Alhaji Tukur is desperately seeking a way out of his predicament and has set about falsifying party records with regard to revalidating his membership through the back door.” “We wish to put him on notice that this is criminal and we hope he understands the consequences of his actions,” Chief Eze said.

Continuing, he said: “Alhaji Tukur’s continued occupation of the Office of PDP National Chairman is clearly fraudulent, illegal and unconstitutional.

“We hereby urge Alhaji Tukur to tow the path of honour and throw in the towel. This is the best option open to him. However, since one man cannot hold the party and the entire nation hostage, should he fail to heed our advice, we would have no other option than to appeal to both the Presidency and the PDP leadership to ease him of the party in the most diplomatic way to avoid hurting him so much considering his zeal and commitment to serve the party. This is a good opportunity for the Presidency to demonstrate if it is serious about restoring peace and unity to the party.

“We hereby formally suggest the immediate recall of Alhaji Abubakar Kawu, who erroneously handed over to Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, thinking he was a member of the party. This will enable Alhaji Kawu to organise a proper, unified convention that will usher in a duly elected National Working Committee of the party as early as possible to enable us face the business of positioning PDP as the ruling party come 2015.

“It will also pave the way to restore PDP’s past glory based on the visions of the founding fathers of the party. A word is enough for the wise.”

•Photo shows Tukur.

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