State Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the Tanimu Turaki led camp as impostors.

They asked security agencies to investigate and prosecute them for forgery and impersonation.

The chairmen also asked former President Goodluck Jonathan to make his position known on the supposed submission of his name by the Turaki group to the Independent National Electoral Commission as Presidential candidate.

Addressing a news conference at the Wadata Plaza national Secretariat of the party, Chairman of Imo State chapter who doubles as the Chairman and Chairmen said the Turaki camp has continued to distort record and judgements of competent courts, thereby causing distractions in the party.

Nwachukwu said as state chairmen, it is their responsibility to defend the integrity of the PDP, to protect the rule of law, and to preserve the peace and stability of the party and the naton’s democracy.

He said: “For several weeks now, the Nigerian people have been subjected to a deliberate campaign of falsehood, impersonation, and lawlessness by a group of individuals expelled from the PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki SAN. These persons have chosen to operate as political impostors and we can no longer remain silent.

“We call on all security and law enforcement agencies to investigate, with immediate effect, the criminal and malicious forgery and distortion of court judgments by these co-travellers.

“Their utter disrespect for the rule of law, their breach of peace, and reckless utterances pose a clear and present danger to public order. Nigeria is a nation of laws, not of propaganda. No group of expelled and recalcitrant individuals should be allowed to substitute court pronouncements with press statements.

“These individuals have continued to falsely and continuously present themselves as a faction of the PDP, despite numerous competent court pronouncements to the contrary.

“This is criminal deception of the Nigerian people. There is only one PDP, recognized by INEC and by the courts, and it is the PDP led by the NWC under Alh. Abdulraham Mohammed as National Chairman and Sen. Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu as National Secretary.

“We reject this identity theft and demand that relevant authorities compel them to desist”.

The Chairmen expressed concern about the continuous silence of former President Goodluck Jonathan on the use of his name the Turaki led group, asking him to speak out on the issue once and for all.

He said the continuous silence was not helping the polity, reminding him of his statement in 2015 that “My ambition is not worth the blood of a single Nigerian.”

He said: “We call on you, in view of the global image and moral authority you command, to address Nigerians directly and disassociate yourself from the continuous use of your name in this spectacle of macabre dance by expelled PDP members.

“It is public knowledge that your name is being used by these people to perpetuate their ignoble activities. This must stop. Silence in the face of such misuse damages not just the party, but your own legacy of peace and statesmanship.

“It is manifestly seen that these group of never do well illegally manually sent your name to INEC against the authentic and authorised electronic upload as prescribed by our electoral laws”.

The PDP Chairmen drew the attention of the FCT Minister, as the Chief Security Officer of the Federal Capital Territory “to look into the use of a two story office building painted off white colour on the left hand side of Owo close off Makurdi Street adjacent to AMAC in Area 10, Garki, Abuja by these renegades.

“This facility is being used to coordinate activities that are capable of breaching public peace and leading to a total breakdown of law and order in the FCT. We urge the Minister to cause an immediate security review and take necessary administrative action in the interest of peace in the nation’s capital.

“We call on the Alh. Abdulraham Mohammed and Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu led-NWC, to take positive and decisive final legal action to stop this charade.

“The deception of the entire PDP membership must end. We urge the NWC to immediately file contempt proceedings and other appropriate actions against these expelled individuals for impersonation, forgery, and disobedience of court orders. The party must protect its name, logo, and structure in law.

“We use this opportunity to fully update and inform the Nigerian Media and the public on the accurate position of the law. Competent courts have spoken. The claims are being circulated by Tanimu Turaki SAN and Barr. Ini Ememobong, who parades themselves as interim National Chairman, and spokesman and Hon Tony Aziegbemen who parades himself as Chairman of all Chairmen of the none existent group, alongside elders such as Prof. Jerry Gana, former Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Chief Bode George, etc., are a pure distortion of competent court judgments.

“We will, in the coming days, provide the media with certified true copies of all relevant court judgments they have undermined to ensure Nigerians are not misled.

“The PDP is bigger than any individual or group of individuals. It is an institution built on sacrifice, law, and the will of the people. We, the 36 States and FCT Chairmen, will not allow a few expelled persons to trample or hijack that legacy.

“We call on all our party members to remain calm and resolute even in the face of provocation. Our party PDP has come back alive to better the Nigerian people”. (The Nation)