More govs to go, says Tukur

Daily Sun---The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is willing to wield the big stick to rein in deviant chieftains of the party including governors.

This hint was given in Abuja yesterday by the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, when he said the party will no longer tolerate insurbodination by its top shots.

In a statement issued yesterday, Tukur also gave indication that more of its members would soon be reprimanded for anti-party activities.

The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership of Tukur last week suspended Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, following what it claimed was his (Amaechi’s) refusal to obey the lawful directive of the Rivers State executive committee to rescind his decision dissolving the elected executive council of Obiokpor Local Government Area.

Tukur noted that his leadership was concerned about allegations of anti-party activities being perpetrated by those holding sensitive elective offices on its platform.

While admonishing party members to show 100 per cent loyalty ahead of the 2015 general elections, he warned that relevant provisions of the party’s Constitution would be applied to deal with recalcitrant members. He noted that party discipline and supremacy were also part of the major planks upon which PDP was built.

“People say we have crisis in our party. It may appear so, but that also shows that democracy is at play in the way we conduct our affairs. We are a family and like any family, we can disagree and then we will agree.

We have mastered the game and that is the reason we have been keeping afloat. “However, we are talking about discipline here. During the PDP Family Dinner , I emphasised on the necessity for party discipline in line with the vision of our founding fathers.

“We have our Constitution to guide us in maintaining discipline. Our past failures to uphold discipline with sense of seriousness has been the reason some members act in very questionable manners. “

“Today, everybody is talking about 2015 with expectations that we must win fairly and transparently. How can we achieve that if certain members of the party go against the rules with impunity, while nothing happens? We have had enough of inconsistencies and loose conducts, and today, we say that must stop,” Tukur said.

Also appraising the President’s Mid-Term Report of his stewardship, the PDP National Chairman lauded the initiative as he further claimed that “it offered Nigerians the right opportunity to reflect on what the PDP government had attained in the past two years with a view to putting the government on its toes to do more”.