opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has threatened to ensure the
removal from seats two of its House of Representatives members for
defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday.
Two PDP House of Reps members, Tony Nwoye (Anambra State) and Udende Emmanuel (Benue State), had on Wednesday declared their intention to defect to the APC.
In
separate letters read by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, on the floor of
the House, the two members cited to the division in the PDP as reason
for their action.
They stated that since the PDP has split into
three factions separately headed by Ali Modu Sheriff, Ahmed Makarfi and
Jerry Gana, they do not wish to belong to any faction.
However, in a swift retort on Wednesday, the party said there was no faction in the PDP.
In
a statement signed by the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of
the party, Ojo Madueke, PDP said there was only one approved National
Convention which took place in Port Harcourt on Saturday 21st of May,
2016, which, it said, was, in accordance with the PDP Constitution.
The
statement read: “The rank and file of the Party have resolved to work
together, and PDP has never been stronger than it is now since its entry
into the honourable role of a robust and principled opposition.
“Any
suggestion of a faction, is at best ill-informed and ignorant, and at
worst, is part of a grand plan to decimate the only political platform
today, that is ready, experienced and able to honour the nation’s
invitation to have a credible opposition party that will hold Government
of the day accountable and thereby strengthen and nourish our young
democracy.
“Let it therefore be understood by those of our members
in the National Assembly who may be tempted to jump ship, or have
already jumped, that on the basis of clear decisions of cases decided in
the Supreme Court, they stand the risk of losing their seats in
Parliament if they went ahead with their latest indulgence.”
“The
pattern of PDP electoral victories all over the federation since the
2015 General Elections shows that where there is election arising from
such vacancies, PDP will return a more credible and more loyal
representative of the people.”
