A Federal High Court in Abuja declared the activities of the Baraje led faction of the PDP illegal, just as it ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to only recognize the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur led national officers of the party.
Reacting to the development, the Abubakar Kawu Baraje led group also vowed to pursue its case to a logical conclusion even to the Supreme Court, just as it said it will continue to use the party’s flag, symbol and colours as bonafide members of PDP.
In a judgment delivered yesterday, Justice Elvis Chukwu, specifically ordered Baraje, Dr. Jaja Sam Jaja, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to forthwith, desist from parading themselves as national officers of the PDP.
Basking in the euphoria of the judgement, the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur immediately warned the Abubakar Kawu Baraje- led nPDP which has in its fold former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, aggrieved Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto state; Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, among others to stop making utterances, issuing press statements, holding meetings or be treated as impostors and criminals.
According to the national leadership of PDP, with the receipt of the Judgment of the Federal High Court which upheld the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee as the authentic one, the Tukur- led PDP remains the only recognised PDP. The PDP however warned that with this development, the Abubakar Kawu Baraje- led New PDP must not rear its head again or be crushed.
In a statement signed yesterday by PDP national Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the ruling of the court in this regard is absolutely clear, direct and unambiguous. The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee under the National Chairmanship of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
”We wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons parading themselves as leaders of this organ of our party are impostors and must be treated as criminals by all and sundry. ”Henceforth, the leadership of the PDP will no longer tolerate or condone any meeting, utterances, press statements and/or activities whatsoever under the name, flag and colour of the PDP by any unauthorized person or group(s) under any guise.
”As a law abiding party, the PDP remained calm in the face of the unwarranted attacks of the last few months. Our leaders chose the path of caution and decorum but our reconciliatory moves and offer of olive branch were treated with the highest disdain and viewed as signs of weakness.
”The National Working Committee has therefore directed that the name, colour, flag and the provisions of constitution of our party must be held sacrosanct by our members. The PDP has adequate internal mechanism for resolution of disagreements and members are advised to express their grievances through such.
In its own statement, the Baraje-led nPDP National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said: “Let us reiterate that we will see this issue to a logical conclusion, including going to the Supreme Court, if necessary, to ensure that a non-member of our party does not continue to lord it over us as our National Chairman. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his loyalists should, therefore, not celebrate yet as any such celebration would be short-lived as we are more than ever determined to show him the way out of the exalted position he is illegally occupying.
”We meanwhile insist that we have every right to continue using the PDP flag, symbol and colours, as we are bonafide members of the party and thus entitled to use them”.
The group also called for a holistic investigation into alleged plot to kidnap Governor Chibuike Amaechi of RiversState, warning that with the experience of Senator Chris Ngige as governor of AnambraState then, the matter as reported in the media must not be swept under th carpet.
It would be recalled that prior to the judgement, the defendants, hitherto declared themselves as executive officers of a splinter group of the party popularly referred to as the ‘PDP’.
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