he National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock on the reported defection by some aggrieved members of the G7 into the opposition party.
The Chairman said the aggrieved G7 members went too far by defecting from a ruling party into the opposition camp, more so at a time the doors of negotiations and dialogue was kept wide open by President Jonathan and the party for all.
Tukur, currently in China on the invitation of the government of the Peoples Republic of China said he was in constant touch with the presidency and party leaders on the development.
He assured party members that the turn of event was normal in democracy, as according to him the party leaders would always put heads together to salvage PDP and further its desire to remain in power.
Said he, “There is always a limit to demonstration of anger. If anger can cause you to pack all your bags and loads and then move into the home of your arch opponents, that to me is an anger so misdirected and it is unfortunate.
“We cannot ask anyone to leave the party if he so decided. After all soldiers go, soldiers come. If any one leaves the PDP, many more people will join.. it happens ever time. All the same, I seize this opportunity to say to others who want to remain to stay back and join the process of re-building and reforming PDP”.
He said PDP never takes delight in having its key members defect into the opposition party. According to him, those who did so had exercised their fundamental right to associate as guaranteed by the law.
The PDP Chairman insisted that the turn of events would not halt the ongoing process of reform within the party and the desire by the leadership to entrench party supremacy, discipline and cohesion.
He urged willing members of the G7 and other aggrieved members of PDP to return into the party, as according to him, the party would always be eager to welcome back all returnees into its fold with happiness.
Speaking further, Tukur said, I am currently in China to study some modern day models of development that China can offer on party organization and good governance. I have taken note of so many things here. We will adopt the good ones to complement the reform process that is ongoing in PDP
“we cannot do it alone. We need the cooperation of the party and the cooperation of every member so that we can leave the primitive stage we always find ourselves andthen link up with modernity.
What we are saying is let us come together as a party to promote te transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan who we elected to lead us in Nigeria.
“let us put behind us those secessions of crises and bickering so that the President and leaders of the party could concentrate on governance and delivery of the dividends of democracy to all.