The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu, has said there would be no automatic waivers to all politicians who are defecting from other parties to the PDP.
Rather, he urged all defectors to apply for waivers on their individual capacity and that such waivers would be granted once they applied for it.
Also, the Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jubrin, reacted as to why the reconciliation committee of the party that visited Sokoto State no longer invited the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambawal, to its reconciliatory meeting in the North-west.
Speaking when PDP formally received the former Governor of Borno State, Modu Sheriif, to the party as a member, the national chairman said: “Though there are no longer new comers or discrimination between new and old members, the fact remains that the returnee members who want to contest elections in whatever capacity must apply for waivers before they are allowed to contest.
“We don’t give automatic waivers. Any returning member must apply for waiver and it shall be granted based on individual capacity. There shall be no blank waivers,” the PDP national chairman said.
He told the returnees to ensure that they follow the due democratic process within the party, urging them to ensure that PDP wins the governorship election in Borno State, while calling for cooperation among all members of the party in the state.
Earlier in his speech, Sheriff pledged to ensure that the PDP wins the next year governorship election in the state.
Sherriff said he made a mistake when PDP did not win up to 25 per cent of the votes cast in 2011, but explained that this time around, the party would not only win the governorship election, but that President Goodluck Jonathan will win the election in the state.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the PDP BoT, Jubrin, on Tuesday said the party did not invite Tambawal to the party’s reconciliatory meeting in Sokoto because they learnt that the Speaker was attending a meeting with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State.
According to Jibrin, “Pictures don’t lie. He was at the APC stakeholders meeting and the pictures are in the newspapers and he has not denied them. Though, he is has not returned the PDP membership card, it would be futile to invite him to our reconciliatory meeting.
“Though, we planned to invite him because he is a senior citizen of the country and with respect to the office he is holding, we intend to invite him separately, I don’t think it is necessary again, since he has started attending the APC meeting, albeit openly.”
Also, the leadership of the PDP Tuesday held separate meeting at the Legacy House of the party in Abuja to consider the report that Tambawal attended the APC meeting in Sokoto.
Though, it was not clear on the outcome of the meeting, a source hinted that PDP might take necessary action on what it considered anti-party activities against the speaker.
The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) is expected to officially meet on Wednesday ( today) to take action on Tambawal attending the APC meeting, which the source described as ‘anti-party activity’ against the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
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