- * Demands Immediate Reversal Of Action
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-chief) @CelestineOkaf11
Nigeria's former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has faulted the grounds upon which he was suspended from the membership the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, along with some other notable PDP members.
Anyim in a one page letter addressed to the PDP NWC on Friday, March 24, 2023, expressed his disappointment that the party rather than worry over its poor showing in the just concluded general elections, was busy fostering more internal divisions within the party rather than appraise the cause of its electoral woes and rally its members for the future.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) chided the PDP leadership for what he described as the "arrogance" and "bold face" of the party in the face of its 2023 election misfortune which he blamed squarely on the leadership style of the NWC that consequently alienated its members from working for the victory of the party at the polls.
Because of this development, Anyim said members of the party "intentionally and proudly" worked against the success of the party at the elections. He told the NWC that it was a "display of cowardice" on the part of the party's leadership to rather than accept blames, chose soft targets for punitive action like suspension over alleged anti-party conducts.
While justifying his support for the governor-elect and the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in his home state, Ebonyi, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru during the March 18 governorship poll, Senator Anyim said it was difficult to understand why the PDP NWC was in a hurry to suspend its members without the benefit of fair hearing, an action he described as "null and void".
Anyim therefore called on the party to urgently reverse itself in the interest of the peace and unity of the PDP. He equally said he has no regret to have supported the APC governorship candidate during the Saturday, March 18 gubernatorial and State House Assembly elections. Anyim however explained that he is proud to have supported the APC candidate in Ebonyi State, Hon. Francis Nwifuru, to win the poll, as it conforms to the existing political formular of equity in the state.
Senator Anyim's statement reads “RE: PDP REFERS ORTOM TO DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE, SUSPENDS FAYOSE, SHEMA, ANYIM, OTHERS.
"Having watched Mr. Debo Ologunagba read a press statement with the above title, on behalf of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, I have the following observations and comments to make:
“The action of the NWC is, to say the least, disappointing.
"I thought the concern of the NWC now would be how to undertake a thorough self-examination on why they performed so poorly in the 2023 elections rather than seek to further divide the party by shifting blames.
“It smacks of arrogance for the NWC to put up a bold face instead of showing remorse and being sober for leading the party to such colossal loss in the 2023 general elections, thereby dashing the hopes and expectations of party members and indeed Nigerians.
“It is clear that arising from the leadership style of the NWC, many members, intentionally and proudly, worked against the party including members of the NWC. Therefore, it is a display of innate cowardice for NWC to choose soft targets to suspend and fear those that daily demonize them.
"It is difficult to explain why the NWC is in a hurry to suspend leaders of the party without recourse to fair hearing, without which their action is null and void.
“In the case of Ebonyi State, the NWC imposed a candidate from the sitting Governor’s zone, contrary to the zoning formula in the state. Every effort to let the NWC see reason fell on deaf ears.
“On the day the party’s presidential rally was held in Ebonyi State, I told Dr. Ayu that I was boycotting the rally because I cannot support the candidate they imposed on Ebonyi State. Dr. Ayu did nothing. He did not care even as I did not attend the Ebonyi rally.
“The NWC may wish to know that I am proud to have supported the APC Gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi State to win the election because that conforms to the equitable formula in Ebonyi State. It is therefore my expectation that the NWC should reverse itself in the interest of the party”. NNL.
