Indiscipline by members killing PDP, says party chairman

The People’s Democratic Party is suffering terribly as a result of intolerable level of indiscipline and anti party conducts by its members, its acting chairman, Kawu Baraje, has said.

Mr. Baraje said members’ flagrant abuse the PDP constitution and the waivers often granted them is hurting the party terribly.

“Only a system that is wants to crumble will allow indiscipline to overwhelm it,” Mr. Baraje said in his opening speech at the 57^th National executive Council meeting of the party.

The party chairman said the party’s unassertive waiver issuances and prodigal members’ subsequent disregard and abuse of the waivers needs urgent review.

“Waivers have been abused,” he said.

Political parties in Nigeria seldom lack ideology and member jump ship frequently and randomly – depending on where it is more convenient to win elections. The PDP has suffered more from these ambition driven defections.

“People see waivers in PDP as just one of those things,” Mr. Baraje said. “(They run) outside the party, get what they want to get, after pouring insult and slander on the party and then come back. We believe this is the time to apply our constitution vehemently to approve or otherwise of waiver requests,” he added.

The party chairman said recently, waiver and other privileges have been denied those with disciplinary issues.

“This trend will continue until we are able to bring sanity to the system,” he said.

He added that the National Working Committee of the party is “committed to halting this slide to anarchy.”

At the NEC meeting, the acting chairman sought authorisation to constitute the National Disciplinary Committee which stood dissolved following the departure of its former chairman, Bello Haliru Mohammed, now a serving minister.