By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Monday called on security agencies to investigate what they described as the alleged forgery and distortion of court judgments by a rival group led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, insisting that ‘Nigeria is a nation of laws, not of propaganda.’
The state party leaders said the dispute had outgrown an internal leadership battle and now threatened respect for the rule of law, public order and the party’s legal identity.
They also sought intervention from the party’s National Working Committee, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking in Abuja, Chairman of the PDP Chairmen’s Forum, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, said the forum was acting ‘not out of bitterness, but out of duty’ to defend the party’s integrity, while Secretary Hon. Babandi Ibrahim Gumel jointly endorsed the petition.
“Nigeria is a nation of laws, not of propaganda. No group of expelled and recalcitrant individuals should be allowed to substitute court pronouncements with press statements,” the chairmen declared.
The forum maintained that there was only one recognised PDP leadership, accusing Turaki’s group of falsely presenting itself as a faction of the party despite what it described as subsisting court judgments.
“There is only one PDP, recognized by INEC and by the courts, and it is the PDP led by the NWC under Alh. Abdulraham Mohammed as National Chairman and Sen. Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu as National Secretary. We reject this identity theft and demand that relevant authorities compel them to desist,” the chairmen said.
They also appealed to Jonathan to publicly distance himself from what they described as the unauthorised use of his name by the rival group, alleging that his name had been manually submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, despite an authorised electronic submission.
“Mr. President, your words still guide this nation: ‘My ambition is not worth the blood of a single Nigerian.’ We call on you, in view of the global image and moral authority you command, to address Nigerians directly and disassociate yourself from the continuous use of your name in this spectacle of macabre dance by expelled PDP members,” they said.
The chairmen urged the Abdulraham Mohammed-led National Working Committee to institute contempt proceedings and other legal actions against the expelled members over alleged impersonation, forgery and disobedience of court orders.
They also asked security agencies to investigate what they described as criminal forgery and distortion of court judgments, warning that the actions of the rival group posed a threat to public peace, while calling on Wike to order a security review of a building in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, which they alleged was being used to coordinate activities capable of disrupting law and order.
The forum said it would make certified true copies of the relevant court judgments available to journalists to counter what it described as misleading interpretations of the rulings.
The chairmen further commended the National Working Committee for overseeing the sale of nomination forms, party primaries, the emergence of Prof. Senator Sandy Onor as the PDP presidential candidate, and the upload and publication of candidates’ particulars by INEC.
They urged party members to remain calm and united despite the leadership dispute.
“The PDP is bigger than any individual or group of individuals. It is an institution built on sacrifice, law, and the will of the people. We, the 36 States and FCT Chairmen, will not allow a few expelled persons to trample or hijack that legacy,” the forum said.
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