Members of new party are not PDP loyalists, says

THE vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in charge of South South, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh has said that any party member that contemplates dumping the party for another or to form a new party, was not a loyal member.

Ojougboh who spoke to The Guardian against the backdrop of some aggrieved PDP leaving to form a new party, said that the party hierarchy has taken a decision and that any member that acted contrary to the decision was not faithful

Some aggrieved alleged members of the PDP and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Tuesday in Abuja; members floated a new political party named Peoples Mega Party (PMP)

The new group in their maiden meeting collectively agreed to have Chief Perry Opara as the interim chairman of the yet to be registered party.

Opara was an aide of former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak. Gulak had championed the agitation with a court case to unseat Prince Uche Secondus then acting national chairman, and replace him with anyone from the North East

Addressing the meeting, Opara said the leadership crisis within the PDP, which had impacted negatively on its chances, had necessitated the need for the Peoples Mega Party (PMP). He explained: “The major people who are in the party are former members of the PDP who are disenchanted by the high level of corruption, high level of impunity and high-handedness in the PDP.

But Ojougboh said that the National Executive Committee (NEC) has decided on the leadership and that anyone that did not complied was not a committed member.

“We have advised everybody that the party has taken a decision and for faithful party members, the decision of NEC is final and members are expected to cooperate with the new chairman. If they are faithful party members they will abide by the decision of NEC,” he said in the interview.

He claimed that there were series of meetings going on to reconcile aggrieved members adding: “The party is becoming very cohesive, everybody is now concentrating and looking forward to the congresses and convention that is coming up.”