Former senate president, Ken Nnamani, dumps PDP

Former Nigerian senate president, Ken Nnamani, on Saturday, dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), accusing the party of departing from “the path of its noble vision and values”.

He announced his departure from the party in statement titled “PDP, the Burden and My Conscience”. He stated that in spite of his misgivings about the PDP, he had nothing against its leadership.

“Without any iota of bitterness in my heart, I have decided to disengage from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and consequently step aside from partisan politics in the interim. I wish to express my profound gratitude to the party that gave me the platform with which I attained the height I did in the politics of our country,” he said.

Nnamani was elected into the senate in 2003. He served as the president of the senate between 2005 and 2007.

The former senate president rued the current state of affairs in the party. He noted that the PDP was now devoid of principles and values which he set for himself.

“I do not believe I should continue to be a member of the PDP as it is defined today,” Nnamani said in the statement.

“This is certainly not the party I joined years ago to help change my country. I do not also believe that the PDP as it is managed today will provide an opportunity for me to continue to play the politics of principles and values which I set for myself as a young man on leaving graduate school and working for a large multinational in the United States in the 70s and 80s.

Nnamani further in the statement accused the leadership of the PDP of being averse to the principles of internally democracy, “several gross missteps and grievous misnomer”. He said the PDP was also arrogant by believing it could Nigeria for a very long time.

“With more than half a decade of championing such a fundamental but simple idea, I regret that the PDP leadership continues to rebuff internal democracy. The party allowed itself to be blinded by hubris to believe that it will remain in power and influence for 60 years in spite of several gross missteps and grievous misnomer.”

“Therefore, today I resign my membership of the PDP. In stepping out of partisan politics for the meantime, I will continue to be politically engaged. I will also continue to support the government and all the elected officers in Nigeria to repositioning the nation.

“I will also constructively criticize them when by commission or omission they take actions that could damage the prospects of transforming Nigeria into a productive, merit-based and honestly governed country.”