Nigeria Content Online

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was yesterday thrown into
further disarray after the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party
announced the suspensions of the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, and 28
other members of the PDP Reform forum.

The meeting of the National Working Committee coincided with the
PDP Reform Forum’s meeting, in which the former Senate President addressed over
2000 people in Abuja.

The NWC meeting considered the recent uprising by the reformers
and expressed its surprise at the refusal of members of the party, operating
under a group called the PDP Reform Forum, to appear before it, despite
extensive invitations to them.

Earlier in the day, the Reform Forum had their own meeting in
which they had accused the PDP leadership of having failed in the past three
years to move the party power.

In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Abubakar Kawu
Baraje, the party said it is of the view that the concerned members had
adequate notice but declined to utilise the opportunity granted them by the
invitation to explain their roles.

The party stated that the decision to dishonour the invitations
to appear before it is a calculated attempt to disregard lawful directives of
the party in order for them to continue to ridicule it, contrary to Article
12.1 of the PDP Constitution.

The NWC then invoked Article 21.4 of the party constitution to
suspend Mr. Nnamani, Aminu Masari, Onyema Ugochukwu, Adolphus Wabara, Peter
Odili and 24 other members of the PDP Reform Forum.

The working committee added that the case would be referred to
the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.

At odds with party
leaders

But Mr. Nnamani, who is the Chairman of the steering committee
of the Forum, stressed the need for better organisation of the ruling party in
the interest of the entire country.

“The party must tolerate other people’s views and not some
people sitting down and dictating how things should move without minding
others, which is anti-democracy,” said Mr. Nnamani, as he addressed the
2000-strong audience.

Nnamani said some state governors were invited by the group to
discuss the “nose-diving” status of the party but because of their selfishness
and their fear that such a gathering could lead to a change of leadership
structure, they refused to turn up.

The former Senate President regretted that the party has
seriously derailed from the ideals and goals of the founding fathers, such that
today, all the grand visions of the party have virtually vanished and nobody is
talking of providing meaningful governance and improving the living standard of
Nigerians anymore.

He said the umbrella under which hid before had disappeared
owing to lackluster and inept leadership of the party.

Former Minister of Education, Chinwe Obaje, said reform could
never be a negative trend in any progressive society, but a necessary change of
attitude that must be embraced by those in positions of authority. According to
her, reform is a continuous process which no human organisation must derail
from to ensure progress.

Inept leadership

Mrs. Obaje said the mission of the forum was not to pull the
party down but to campaign for good polity within the party.

Doyin Okupe said, without reform, the party would not last based
on its current structure and leadership. “PDP leadership is totally and grossly
inept,” he said, adding that most of the problems within the party were caused
by the overbearing power of the governor’s forum.

The former governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, said he
supported the group and was ready to associate with it. “You don’t have to be
in power before you can be a reformer,” he said.

The former Organising Secretary of the party, Dahiru Umar, said
that more than N4 billion was left in the party account for the current
leadership to execute the building of the party’s headquarters in Abuja, but
noted that nothing had been achieved with the amount.

Some members of the group who attended the meeting were former
Senate President Adolphus Wabara, Amanga Nimi, Adamu Waziri, Rochas Okorocha
and Iro Dan-Musa.