GEJ's PDP faction threatens Atiku's PDP with suspension, prosecution

 We all know there are two PDP factions now so to distinguish them we have to call one - President Jonathan's PDP and the one that broke away last weekend - former VP Atiku Abubakar's PDP. So the chairman of President Jonathan's PDP Bamanga Tukur today held a press conference in Abuja where he threatened members of Atiku's PDP with suspension, called them impostors and said the police should regard them as such.   2015 will be interesting. Read what he said at the press conference below.

Our reason for being here is to neither inform you without any iota of doubt that the Peoples Democratic Party has no faction and there is neither room nor reason whatsoever for such a claim under any guise.

The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) under my Chairmanship. I wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons parading themselves as leaders of NEC or any other organ of our party are impostors and I urge all Nigerians, especially the security agencies and other institutions of democracy to regard them as such.

Let me state categorically that the PDP as the sole custodian of the sacred mandate of over 160 million Nigerians and who in the last fourteen years has lifted high the banner of democracy will not fold its arms while some  undemocratic and unpatriotic elements destroy our common destiny by causing divisions and confusion among the people.

Consequently, we shall ensure that any person who is not duly elected into any leadership position in our great party and has not been duly assigned any role but goes ahead to arrogate such to himself will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Similarly, all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law.

We shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions.

I wish to emphasize that the PDP has adequate mechanism for internal conflict resolution. All party members are therefore advised to ventilate their grievances through this medium.

There is only one lawfully recognized PDP and I am firmly in charge,” Bamanga Tukur declared.

Meanwhile 26 Senators and at least 57 members of the House of Representatives have declared loyalty to “The New PDP” chaired by Abubakar Baraje.