Party welcomes members of defunct CPC
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, Bashir Ibrahim, has criticised President Goodluck Jonathan over Sunday’s disruption of the meeting of seven governors loyal to a faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, popularly called ‘New PDP’.
The meeting, which was being held at the Kano State Governor’s lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, was reportedly disrupted by police officers from the Asokoro Division led by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Nnanna Ama.
Mr. Ibrahim while fielding questions from journalists, on Monday, at the PDM National Headquarters in Abuja, during a courtesy call by decampees from the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, led by Rufai Hanga, said, “What happened yesterday is a very sad commentary on our democracy, and I am saying this with all sense of responsibility and seriousness; that elected governors, people elected by Nigerians in their states, could not meet in Government House, is very sad indeed.”
Mr. Ibrahim condemned what he described as intolerance and highhandedness being displayed by Mr. Jonathan through security agencies. He said the president’s action was now making life difficult for all discernible forces against the ruling party.
“People say that President Jonathan is harmless, that he could not even harm a fly, that Nigerians are not fair to him, and that there is a gang up of the opposition against him.
“President Jonathan was the one who sent Vincent Ogbulafor packing as chairman of the PDP. He also sent away Nwodo as chairman of the PDP – all out of intolerance. He sent the governor of his state, Timipre Sylva, packing. And now, he is after the governor of Rivers State,” he said.
He also pointed out that the president chose to recognise a governor who got 16 votes against the one who got 19 votes in the Nigeria Governors Forum election.
“Now we are at the stage where these governors cannot meet anymore without harassment from the President,” he said.
“No policeman, a DPO for that matter, will go and try to disrupt a meeting of elected governors – chief executives of seven states of the federation – without instructions from the Inspector General of the Police; and the Inspector General of the Police will dare not order this without instruction from the president. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
He said that in the Second Republic (1979-1983), some progressive governors confronted President Shehu Shagari, noting that they had a free hand and nobody harassed them.
“25 years after, we have regressed; the country is becoming a Police state, whereby Governors cannot meet without harassment by the police. This will not be acceptable to any patriotic Nigerian and anybody who wants democracy to thrive in this country. The message should be sent to the PDP Federal Government that Nigeria is not a banana republic. People fought for this democracy and we are not going to watch a rogue political party to derail this democracy. We are going to fight to re-establish our freedom as Nigerian citizens, and we are going to make sure that this democracy outlives this political party,” Mr. Ibrahim said.
Earlier on, Mr. Ibrahim had welcomed the decampees into the PDM; a party he said was open, fair, equitable, just and working for positive political change.
“The PDM has learned from the mistakes of other parties, in the areas of gross abuse of registration, party ownership, godfatherism and lack of internal democracy. We would not fall into such political cesspit. So, we have cultivated a culture of level-playing field for all through online registration, well-structured stakeholder committees and planned congresses,” he said.
In his own remarks, Mr. Hanga stated that members of defunct CPC have agreed to join the PDM unconditionally.
“The personalities in PDM, together with its constitution and manifestoes agree with our own ideology of progressive politicking and human development. As such, we are here from all nooks and crannies of the country to identify with PDM and its leadership. We are happy to settle down in PDM and work out the way forward for political success which the PDM represents. And together we shall bring succor and development to Nigeria,” he said.
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