PDP party workers in fresh crisis

Firstclass newsline gathered that the crisis hitting the opposition
party Peoples Democratic Party took a new turn on Friday as its
workers further accused the members of the party's National Working
Committee of being "too corrupt."
The angry workers also accused the NWC members of demanding N1bn bribe
from the Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada, before giving him the
party's governorship ticket.
Governorship election will hold in Kogi State in the last quarter of the year.
The workers also alleged further that the NWC members demanded and
received N750m bribe from Mr. Ndudi Elumelu with a promise to give him
the PDP governorship ticket in Delta State early in the year.
Firstclass newsline gathered that the money was returned to Elumelu
after ex-President Goodluck Jonathan got wind of the incident.
These and other allegations were made at a press briefing organised by
the workers at Wadata Plaza headquarters of the PDP in Abuja.
A source had, in two exclusive stories, revealed the plan by the NWC
to sack 50 per cent of its workers and also cut the salaries of those
to be retained by the same percentage. In response, the workers
accused members of the NWC of squandering N12bn in nine months.
The money was said to have been realised from the sales of nomination
forms during the contest for elective offices in the party in 2014.
The workers said this in their response to the letter sent to them by
the party's National Secretary, Prof. Wake Oladipo, on Wednesday.
Oladipo had, in the letter, informed the workers about the decision of
the NWC to cut cost and that even those to be retained must also bring
a letter of certification from their state chapters of the party
before they could be absorbed.
Asking how a buoyant party with more than N12bn could become beggary
in just nine months, the workers said all the members of the NWC, led
by its Acting National Chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus, must either resign
or be sacked.
They said the political fortunes of the party under the current
leadership of the NWC had dwindled and that in order to save the
party, Secondus and other NWC members must resign. The workers, who
were led by their leaders, Ngozi Ezeh (chairman), and Dan Ochu-Baiye
(secretary), said at the press conference that the members of the NWC
were in a mission to kill the once buoyant and popular party.
Ochu-Baiye said, "It is no longer news that the political fortunes of
the PDP have continued to dwindle since the coming on board of the
present NWC in March 2012.
"The party under the current leadership of Secondus as Acting National
Chairman and Prof. Wale Oladipo as National Secretary has been
systematically and deliberately dismembered and it is being led to the
morgue in preparation for its final burial.
"Never in the glorious history of our great party has its fortunes
been so hopelessly mismanaged by an inept and dishonest group whose
sworn mission is to permanently destroy and liquidate the lofty
organisation that facilitate the current democratic dispensation.
"The current NWC members are only hanging on because of the obscene
and bizarre bazaar which they have subjected the purse of the party
to."
The workers alleged that the many atrocities committed by the NWC
members were responsible for the abysmal performance of the party
during the last general elections.
They said, "We make bold to say that responsibility for the abysmal
outing of the party should be located directly at the doorstep of the
NWC members due to the following reasons: Criminal imposition of
unpopular candidates and mind boggling extortion of aspirants.
"An example here is the yet to be resolved allegation by Ndudi Godwin
Elumelu, who paid whopping N750m to the NWC to obtain the governorship
ticket of the party in Delta State. There are many other victims.
"The same scenario is being played out in Kogi State while Bayelsa
State is in the wings. In Kogi, it is widely alleged that the
incumbent governor was requested to cough out the sum of N1bn to the
same NWC to retain his ticket."
The workers also accused the NWC of non-release of campaign funds to
state chapters and embezzlement of proceeds of sales of nomination
forms. They said there was no way any political party could undergo a
high level of tortuous mismanagement and would still win elections.
The workers said the NWC members must tell members of the party why
they compelled delegates to pay the sum of N10, 000 each into a
private account of a company called Morufi Nigeria Limited.
"We are aware that over N1bn was realised from this fraudulent
exercise," they added, calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission to arrest and investigate the NWC members for the alleged
fraud.
They asked if it was the same PDP that was once led by Dr. Alex
Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbeh
and Dr. Amadu Ali.
"Is the party still as formidable as when it was led by Prince Vincent
Eze Ogbulafor and the erudite Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo? Is it the same
Party that was victoriously managed by Dr. Haliru Mohammed?" the
workers asked.
They also accused the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa
Metuh, of engaging in anti-party activities.
They alleged that when Metuh lost in his ward and polling booth in the
November 16, 2013 governorship election in Anambra State, he openly
campaigned for and supported the candidate of the All Progressive
Grand Alliance against the PDP.
"He again lost his ward and polling booth in the state Assembly
elections of April 11, 2015," the workers said.
But Metuh dismissed workers' allegations and described them as baseless.
He said the PDP workers were being sponsored by the All Progressives Progress.
Metuh said, "Their (the workers) call is baseless, falsehood and
contrived. They are only playing out the script they were handed by
the opposition, the APC.
"Our party is aware of plots by the APC to infiltrate our members and
create confusion within the party and that is what these aggrieved
staffers are doing.
"How come it is now that the PDP has become a thorn in the flesh of
the ruling APC and its government at the centre that these kind of
internal protest are sprouting.
"The real issue is for the Director General of the Department of State
Services, Lawal Daura, to resign and also for the acting Chairman of
the Independent National Electoral Commission, Amina Zakari, to quit."
The Kogi State Governor, Capt Idris Wada, told one of our
correspondents that it was untrue that members of the NWC of the PDP
demanded a bribe of N1bn from him so that they would facilitate or
give him ticket as the party's candidate for the forthcoming election
in the state.
In a response by his spokesperson, Mr. Eddy Jacob, the governor
advised those making such allegations to find a way to address their
problem and stop dragging his name in their internal problem.
Jacob said, "The allegation is false. If the workers of PDP have
issues, they should find a way of addressing them and should not drag
the person of Capt Idris Wada into what is an internal crisis in the
party.
"It is unconceivable that they will make such allegation against Wada.
Wada is prepared to face the election and would not accept victory
other than through voting process. So I do not know where they are
coming from. I advise them not to drag Wada's name into what I think
is an internal party issue"
Elumelu, when contacted over the telephone, declined to comment on the
issue, saying he would only entertain questions in a face-to-face
discussion.
He said, "I usually don't talk to the press on phone; I prefer
face-to-face communication. I picked the call because I always give
people respect by picking their calls."
Firstclassnewsline.net