Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko
The
Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday denounced insinuation that it
suspended Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, because of the
outcome of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election won by Rivers State
Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
The party explained in a statement by
its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja that
Wamakko was punished for “disrespect and act of insubordination” to its
National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, and his office in April.
According to the PDP, when the governor
was queried, he instead directed the Sokoto State Secretary of the
party, Mallam Aminu Sokoto, to reply the national chairman.
This, the PDP said, amounted to gross disrespect to Tukur and his office.
Wamakko’s suspension from the party on
Wednesday came few days after Amaechi was suspended for refusing to
reinstate a local government chairman in the state.
Metuh said the action against Wamakko
was taken after a very wide and exhaustive consultation in accordance
with the party’s constitution.
He added in the statement that the
governor needed to be disciplined because the party’s leadership was
not comfortable with his statements and conduct in April.
Wamakko was said to have frowned on the
manner the Presidency and the party imposed the Governor of Akwa Ibom
State, Chief Godswill Akpabio, on PDP governors as their chairman.
Metuh’s statement reads in part,
“Sometime in early April, the leadership of the party was concerned with
the statements and conduct of the governor whereupon the national
chairman placed several calls to draw the attention of the governor to
the matters concerned.
“However, it was not possible for the
national chairman to speak with the governor despite several attempts.
The national chairman thereafter vide a letter dated April 12, 2013
requested an explanation from him to the NWC within seven days.
“Instead of replying the national
chairman, Wamakko directed the Sokoto State Secretary of the party to
reply the national chairman. This amounted to gross disrespect and act
of insubordination to a national officer and a lawful organ of the party
which is in violation of Article 58.1 (c ), (h) and (m) of the PDP
constitution.”
Article 58.1 (c ), (h) and (m) of the party’s constitution prescribes sanctions for any member, who:
• disobeys or neglects to carry out lawful directives of the party or any organ or officer of the party
• engages in any conduct likely to cause
disaffection among members of the party or is likely to disrupt the
peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of the business of the Party or;
• fails, refuses or neglects to treat a petition, complaints or appeal speedily.
Metuh said the National Working
Committee of the party in letters dated April 17 and May 23, 2013
requested the governor to appear before it on May 8, 2013, to clear the
issues raised against him but that he declined.
Wamakko, according to him, was again asked to meet with the NWC members on June 5 but he still refused.
He added that the PDP was angry that
the governor travelled out of the country on the same day he was
billed to appear before the NWC without an explanation.
Metuh said the NWC also wrote to Bello requesting explanations for his action as a state party officer, in replying Tukur.
He said the governor and the party’s
secretary in Sokoto State did not only refuse to respond to any of
the letters but failed to honour invitations extended to them.
He added that the party’s secretary had also been suspended from the PDP.
“The NWC frowned on this act of gross
indiscipline and disrespect to the party and was therefore left with no
other option but to invoke relevant articles of the PDP constitution in
furtherance of the determination to enforce discipline at all levels
within the party,”Metuh said.
Efforts by one of our correspondents to speak with Wamakko failed as he was said to be out of the country.
But a source close to him said the governor would set the record straight.
He, however, notedthat the action of the
party might have been influenced by an aide of Tukur, who he (Tukur)
had wanted to use to replace Wamakko during the rerun governorship
election in the state.
Meanwhile, the PDP in the North-West has
faulted the suspension of Wamako, saying it is capable of
destabilising the party in the geo-political zone.
“The suspension is unfortunate. We
would have done a wide consultation because we have enemies within. PDP
is a party not a club. It has its constitution. I am not saying what
they have done is wrong but all I am saying is that they should have
been a wide consultation before the action,” the PDP Chairman in the
zone, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, said.
Kazuare argued that the party should
have explored other means of resolving the matter against the governor
before the suspension order was slammed on him.
He also cautioned the people of the
South-South against statements that could rock the boat of the party
ahead of the 2015 general elections.
PUNCH
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