– Says returning decampees to take backseats
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State has said that it will review its performance in the November governorship election and also sanction its members who sabotaged their progress.
The party said it will no longer tolerate its members leaving the party to join other political parties during election and returning afterwards. The party said returning members will be given backseats instead, upon return.
The party took the decision during an emergency expanded meeting of the leadership of the party, which was held in Awka, yesterday.
Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Ndubuisi Nwobu, member of board of trustees of the party, Senator Ben Obi and candidate of the party in the last election, Mr Valentine Ozigbo were among members of the party who attended the event.
Nwobu in his welcome address said: “This is an emergency expanded meeting of our party leaders. We are about 138 members comprising strong stakeholders here.
“We went for the governorship election with high hopes. Our candidate (Ozigbo), did his very best to ensure that the flag handed to him took us to government house.
“At the end of the day, many factors, seen and unseen militated against his hope. Thanks to Ekwunife for working so hard, despite not being favoured for the ticket of the party. She worked hard, and if everyone did same, we would have won.
“However, some members chickened out of our party because they were thrown carrots at. What was thrown at them is very infinitesimal to what was thrown at some of us.
“All those who left us, don’t be surprised they will start sneaking back soon. If they come in, we will give them the backseat where they deserve. It will be a lesson for tomorrow, because if we don’t do it, people will continue in wrong acts.
“We need people in the party because politics is about number, but not for people to move in and out. We will met out the same punishment for all, both contenders and members who left to go and make money from other parties. There must be repercussions for such acts. We hope that PDP in a very short while will be able to bounce back to power in this state.”
Senator Obi in his own remarks said: “Every PDP member knows that the party wins elections. Any party that doesn’t have discipline cannot win election. We must learn to sanction erring members.
“Today we still have cases in court by PDP members. I will champion that those people be sanctioned. We cannot continue like this. We have bigwigs in the party, and we must strive for a united PDP.”
The party resolved to set up a committee to review its participation of the recently concluded governorship election in the state, while also introducing to the party a new member of Board of Trustees of the party, Mrs Chinelo Mofus, and Mr Obi Okechukwu the National Auditor of the party.
