PDP MOVES AGAINST FANI-KAYODE

For publicly criticising the leadership of his party and calling on members of the National Working Committee, NWC, to resign following the dismal performance of the party in the last general elections, former Aviation Minister and Director Of Media of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, may be expelled from the party.

An indication to this emerged Wednesday when the NWC of the party, after a meeting held in Abuja, asked Osun State chapter of the party to investigate Fani-Kayode’s membership status and determine whether he is a registered and financial member or a usurper.

The NWC decision which was communicated to the chairman of the party in Osun through a letter signed by the National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, also directed the local chapter to take proper discplinary action against Fani-Kayode for mounting press war against the NWC.

“If he is a registered and financial member, proper disciplinary actions should be meted against him through the ward for engaging in actions contrary to Section 58 (1) (b) of the PDP Constitution. If not a member, you should regard him as a usurper,” the letter read.

•Fani-Kayode: faces expulsion

In a swift reaction, Fani-Kayode, who has remained recalcitrant over threats to expel him from the party, said he is a Nigerian and has the right to state his case.

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I am a Nigerian, I have the right to state my case, I am not the first to say they should resign. Did they ask Fayose to be disciplined in his comment? Did they ask the Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, to be reprimanded for his comments? Did they ask that Sule Lamido should be reprimanded for his comments? Clearly, when I said it, somebody listened and the chairman stepped down.  Now, I am saying once again that the most important thing for us to do as a party is to ensure that every single one of them goes.

“I have been a federal minister under the PDP on two occasions, I have been spokesman to President Olusegun Obasanjo for three years for the PDP, I have been spokesman for the presidential campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan for the PDP and it is absurd for anybody to question my loyalty to the PDP simply because I said that they should resign. They have a lot of questions to answer.”

He further stated: “I am delighted for the fact that the national chairman of the party has resigned almost six or seven hours after I made a call for that. I am not the only one who made the call so it reflects the feeling of a large number of people; the overwhelming majority of  the party. But truly, there are many to go.

“We also call for the resignation of the entire National Working Committee and we sincerely hope that they will take a cue from there and do the honourable thing like the chairman and step down, that is the first thing.

“Not only that they have cheated their own party members, they have lied, collected money from various people in order to win the primaries, they have provided an absurd leadership. Most of us are fed up with this.”