PDP Begins Probe of Anti-Party Activities
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Disciplinary Committee yesterday in Abuja began hearing in the alleged charges of anti-party activities and disobedience of party directives levelled against Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and other principal officers of Taraba State House of Assembly.
Also charged before the panel is Chairman of the Kwara State chapter of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Zubairu for swearing to an affidavit against the ruling party.
The panel is headed by Alhaji Ibrahim Safana, the deputy national chairman (North). Charges were read to the principal officers of the Taraba Assembly who pleaded not guilty. The state legislators were accused of disobeying the directive of the party that they should discontinue the impeachment proceeding initiated against the former deputy governor of the state, Uba Maigari.
At the panel, the Taraba legislators were given 14 days to respond to the charge of disobedience against them.
However, before leaving the committee room, the Speaker sought to explain the circumstances that led to the impeachment of the former Deputy Governor, saying the principal officers should not be made scapegoats of Maigari's ouster.
The chairman of the committee responded by reminding the Speaker that the party had invited the principal officers to the party headquarters and handed down its directives.
"It was left to you to influence other members to obey the party directives, since PDP is controlling the majority in the House. We have seventeen members in the House," Safana said.
Also, Zubairu, the Kwara State chapter chairman was asked to respond to the allegation of anti-party activities against him within 14 days.
Zubairu was alleged to have sworn to an affidavit in a court disowning a local government chairman, despite the fact that he was the candidate whose name appeared in the official list sent to Kwara State by the National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh and the National Secretary, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor.
At the resumed hearing of the anti-party charges against the suspended chairman of Abia State, Chief Uzodimma Okpara, he (Okpara) was asked to account for why the party lost the local government elections in Umuahia South Council, Ogbulafor's home town.
Okpara blamed the loss of the council to the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) on the National Secretary, Ogbulafor, who he said funded the UNPP candidate.
According to the suspended chairman, the UNPP candidate who won the council election was a former ANPP House of Assembly member and an Ogbulafor "Boy."
"Though, Ogbulafor is the National Secretary of PDP, his structures are still in place and it is this structure that the UNPP candidate used when he was denied the chairmanship ticket in ANPP," the suspended Abia State PDP Chairman said.
Also testifying before the committee, acting chairman of the party in Abia State, Chief Lord Mayor Awa blamed both the governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, former Minister of Transport, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and Ogbulafor for the fractious nature of the party in the state.
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