The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Movement and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, on Wednesday engaged themselves in a war of words over the propriety or otherwise of registering the PDM as a political party.
The PDM said it was not the business of Anenih to decide for the majority of the members of the movement, founded by the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, whether it should be registered as a political party or not.
The party, in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Yusuf, and many other leaders of the political party, faulted the meeting called by Anenih on the matter on Wednesday in Abuja.
The party said Anenih must be nursing a fear to oppose the registration of the PDM as a political party.
The statement reads in full: “Today some members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under the direction of the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, held a meeting in Abuja to take a stand on the registration of Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM. The meeting purportedly rejected the registration PDM as a political party on the false ground that enough consultations were not made before the registration was agreed upon. We understand that those former members of PDM who prefer to stay in PDP are aggrieved that PDM has jumped the sinking ship to become a political party in its own right. Now that 2015 is around the corner, they want to use PDM again to feather their nest and sustain a decade-old fraud to remain politically relevant. We are aware a number of those associated with the meeting have fallen on hard times while others are being misinformed and misled. We urge them to seek out the truth and reflect and not rush to judgment. We urge them not to
compromise their principles for a pittance and soil their name.
“2. While we respect the right of individuals to decide for themselves how and with whom they wish to associate, we reject the idea that some can dictate to others how and with whom they can to associate. This is the first time in the political history of Nigeria that members of one political party will constitute themselves into a conclave to determine that another political party has no right to exist. That some people will insist they own the exclusive franchise to the PDM brand to the exclusion of everybody else is not only undemocratic and arrogant but it is also against the letter and spirit of our Constitution which guarantees every citizen the right to freely associate. PDM is not an exclusive club for the highly privileged and, certainly, not the property of any individual no matter how highly placed. As a registered political party, PDM is open to every Nigerian who wishes to join, including those who deny involvement in its registration out of
cowardice. To be a political party had always been the dream of PDM’s founding fathers as opposed to opportunists who want to cling to the name and use it only when it serves their selfish interests. Those who don’t want to join PDM are free not to but they should perish the thought of using us again to negotiate political appointments.
“3. The history of PDM is like that of several other organizations, with its fair share of ups and downs. In the last one decade PDM as an organization, had become comatose, if not dead. About two years ago, a group of younger elements within the organization took the initiative, following wide consultations, to breathe life into it and eventually voted to pull out of Peoples Democratic Party and register it as a political party in order to open it up to all Nigerians who wish to join. Some people have alleged they have not been consulted before this was done. What we would like to know is, do those making this claim have a higher stake in PDM than us? Is PDM a secret club or is it only an instrument for feathering some members’ nest? Why is anyone afraid that PDM is now open to all Nigerians instead of to a very small group? Where were these self-appointed PDM leaders all this time when the organization and its members fell on hard times? Why didn’t we
hear their voice or see them meet before now, for over a decade?
“4. To now call a congregation of aggrieved PDP members who never spoke about PDM in the last one decade, other than when they seek favours in its name, to decide the fate of a political party other than the one to which they belong, is not only ridiculous but it is also arrogant. Those who wish to stay inside the PDP to pursue their political career and interests are free to do so but they must not impose their preference on everybody else. Those who wish to belong to the past are free to do so but they must not try to hinder those who wish to move on. As a political party, PDM is a legal entity registered under the law. PDP members have no right to congregate in order to decide its fate. The days of imposition are over. That is precisely why PDM and PDP had to part ways.
“5. Nor is the argument that PDM was founded to be a pressure group true. It is inexplicable that any genuine and serious member of PDM could make such a claim. In its various forms, PDM had sought registration as a political party twice, first as PFN in 1989 and as PDM in 1995. On both occasions, our aspiration to become a political party was very strong but it was callously denied by the military. A genuine member of PDM who is not playing out any other person’s script should be thankful to those who were able to register it as a political party after failure to do so twice in the last twenty five years. For some of us, this is a dream come true. Those who claim to be elders should stop ridiculing themselves.
“6. We the undersigned wish to dissociate ourselves from the meeting of November 13th and from any attempt to create the impression of the existence of any PDM group outside the political party registered under the law. The existence of two PDMs is the figment of the imagination of those who are playing out a PDP script. Time has come for those who truly believe in PDM to take a stand. To insist on being a member of PDP and PDM at the same time amounts to fraud. We call on security and law enforcement agencies to take note and do their job before this sponsored mischief gets out of hand.”
The letter was signed by Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, Prof. Babalola Borishade, Prof. Leo Chinedu Anyanwubalaka, Hon. Joseph Umana, Hon. Yakubu Tsala, Engr. Godie Ikechi – Abia, Yindimo Donald – Adamawa, Obong Idongesit Udokpo – Akwa Ibom, Chief Emmanuel C Onuorah – Anambra, Alh. Abdullahi Jibo – Bauchi, Akali T. Wayman – Bayelsa, Shimawua Adzaigba – Benue, Alh. Aminu Gondu – Borno, Amb. Obi Odu – Cross River, Prof. Chike Okolocha – Delta, Chima O. Chima – Ebonyi, Dr. Saliu Lawani Edogieawerie – Edo, Chief Bode Ajewole – Ekiti, Peter Onwurah Aniagboso – Enugu, Hon. Usman Jiya – FCT, Alh. Adamu Yahaya – Gombe, Hon. Greg Egwu – Imo, Alh. Sule Maina – Jigawa, Pastor Nuhu Aminci – Kaduna, Alh. Dahiru Ibrahim Gezawa – Kano, Sen. Mamman Abubakar Danmusa – Katsina, Alh. Ibrahim Masta – Kebbi, Alh. Abubakar Yusuf – Kogi, Engr. Wole Oke – Kwara, Alh. Rahman Owokoniran – Lagos, Mohammed Lawyer El-Yakub – Nasarawa, Hon. Alex Kwapnoe – Plateau, Alh.
Ilyasu Dhako – Niger, Dame Titi Ajanaku – Ogun, Chief Femi Bakare – Ondo, Alh. Lasisi Ogunsola Bakare – Osun, Prince Atanda JP – Oyo, Prince Tonye Princewill – Rivers, Alh. Abubakar Chika Aina – Sokoto, Engr. Abubakar Gambo – Taraba, Alh. Idris Baba Ajiya – Yobe and Alh. Umaru Gummi – Zamfara.
But Anenih, at the Abuja meeting, insisted that the PDM remains a pressure group and not a political party.
He stated this at the meeting of the Elders and Founding Fathers of the PDM.
Anenih observed that the registration of a political party by the name PDM poses a challenge to the group’s existence.
He said: “It is obvious that those who have ‘stolen’ our name to register the so-called political party do not mean well for our organisation or the PDP.
“Their aim is obviously to ride on our goodwill to attract members out of the PDP, with the purpose of weakening or even destroying the party.
“We have the responsibility to stop these people as we are loyal and committed members of the PDP.”
Anenih alleged that those who formed the PDM as a political party wanted to undermine the electoral capability of the PDP.
Anenih condemned the registration of the PDM as a party, adding that there was no public notice before its registration, which could have enabled the movement to oppose the registration.
He stressed that the meeting would proffer creative, profound and legitimate ways of redressing the anomaly of the registration of the name PDM as a political party.
Earlier, the Chairman of the PDM, Senator Abubakar Mahdi, said that that the idea to convert the movement into a political party had always been opposed.
Mahdi noted that members of the movement had rejected the registration of the PDM party.
“We therefore plead with our leaders to intervene in order to find a lasting solution to the problems,” Mahdi said.
Also, Alhaji Farouk Abdulazeez, who chaired the meeting, explained that the movement was a core political legacy of late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, which could not be converted to anyone’s gains.
Abdulazeez gave the assurance that the current leadership of the PDM movement was determined to covet and protect the legacy by ensuring that it remains the source of political conscience of the country
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