The Chairman, Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Felix Obuah urges aspirants on the platform of the party to be guided in their activities by the provisions of Article 58 (1) of the PDP Constitution, 2012, as amended.
The Party Chairman, reacting to attempts by some aspirants to drag the name of the party and its leadership into disrepute through syndicated press statements and conferences, says it has become very imperative to urge aspirants to be decorous, and stop engaging in those unfaithful and caustic activities and statements.
The Party notes with sadness the orchestrated actions by aspirants deliberately designed to malign the Party and its leadership by continuously dishing out outright falsehood, unsubstantiated claims and above all, threatening the tranquility and harmony in the party through various media publications and misrepresentations at public fora.
The PDP Chairman reminds all aspirants that the Party remains supreme over and above individuals and will not cease to conduct its programmes and activities according to the provisions of its Constitution, in this case, the provisions of Article 58(1), which states thus: the Party shall have power to discipline any member who says or does anything likely to bring the party into disrepute, hatred or contempt; engages in anti-party activities; 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; engages in unauthorized publicity of disputes within the Party or creates a parallel Party at any level and promotes factions or belongs to any groups under the guise of the Party and by whatever name called, not being one provided for in the Constitution of the PDP.
Obuah reiterates unequivocally that the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party shall apply those relevant provisions of the Party Constitution against any erring member, no matter how highly placed, to serve as a deterrent to others, emphasizing that the Party will no longer watch few individuals, who parade as aspirants of the Party but have never been to the State Party Secretariat or know where the PDP Secretariat of their respective wards are located, continue to constitute themselves as cogs in the wheel of the party.
He further warns that the party shall henceforth take advantage of the provisions of the Constitution to restore sanity and decorum amongst its members, stressing that the unity, peace and progress of the PDP shall not be compromised.
Reassuring that all genuine and sincere aspirants of the Party would be treated fairly and enjoy all their rights as contained in the Party Constitution, the Chairman says the Party shall not sit and watch some unfaithful elements perpetuate the pull-down game being engaged in their quest to frustrate the party primaries in favour of their master and sponsor, Gov Rotimi Amaechi.
The Party hereby, for the umpteenth time, appeals to all aspirants and its teeming members to adhere to the Party rules and guidelines and see the peace, unity and the desire of the PDP to win all levels of elections in Rivers State beyond their personal and insular interest.
The PDP further appeals that rather than dissipating their energies and resources in destructive activities, they should channel them towards the success of the Party in the elections, adding that the Party is willing and would work with any aspirant that emerges at the end of the party primaries.
The Party Chairman also reaffirms earlier position of the Party that all aspirants on the platform of the PDP shall be given a level playing ground, to test their popularity and acceptability at the primaries.
Signed:
Jerry Needam
Special Adviser, on Media to
State PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah
Friday, November 14, 2014.
