A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, has suggested the suspension of Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal, and Bukola Saraki from the party.
In an interview in Asaba, against the backdrop of the crisis rocking the party, Muoboghare stated that it is time for the genuine members of PDP to expel those who indulge in political prostitution.
Describing them as serial defectors, he said the way forward for the party is to take serious action against those who pretend to be part of the party but are actually working against it.
The former commissioner noted that without expelling such persons, the party would never make meaningful progress, declaring that those who have remained in the party are the genuine members committed to its true course.
He emphasised that the party must work towards expelling Atiku because, without such action, PDP would remain stagnant while others advance.
He questioned how the economy could thrive when there is no proper, articulate opposition, only carpetbaggers parading themselves as leaders.
“PDP remains the only national party in Nigeria, and it must cleanse itself to move forward. One of the individuals who must be shown the way out for the party to move forward is Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
The former chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities described Atiku as a serial defector, accusing him of coming and going at will, and each time he returns, he assumes the position of the presidential candidate is reserved for him.
According to him: “Atiku has defected to and returned from all known political parties, and finding no new one to defect to, now attempts to force the PDP into a merger with strange bedfellows to create yet another amorphous party.
“Prostitution, in any way defined, is injurious. These three musketeers who have troubled our party must be shown the way out.”
He further lamented that Atiku believes he has the right to defect to Labour Party, run to APC, and come back to PDP, only to start using PDP’s name to negotiate mergers with other parties.
While describing this act as irresponsible and criminal, Muoboghare said people like Atiku Abubakar should not be accommodated in a serious-minded party like PDP.
Muoboghare also called for the expulsion of Aminu Tambuwal, describing him as another unstable character who does not mean well for the party.
He blamed Tambuwal for starting the crisis that rocked the party in 2014/2015 by working against PDP when Goodluck Jonathan was president.
He noted that it is unacceptable for such persons to return to the party after causing damage and then attempt to dictate its direction.
He maintained that genuine members of PDP would no longer tolerate such behaviours, declaring emphatically, “we say no to them, they have to be expelled for the party to move forward.”
He insisted that Bukola Saraki must also be expelled, accusing him of destroying PDP in Kwara State and being unable to deliver it.
According to him, Saraki’s instability and inability to manage the political space led to the loss of Kwara State to APC.
He warned that individuals like Saraki could defect at any moment to any party, including the Action Congress APC, Labour Party, or APGA, stressing that the new PDP of today, made up of remnants of loyalists, cannot continue to associate with such unstable characters.
Muoboghare noted that failure to expel the trio of Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal, and Bukola Saraki would lead to another wave of mass defections from PDP, even among its committed members. He accused them of not wishing the party well.
The chieftain vowed that, as time goes on, more such individuals would be identified and expelled to save the party.
He boldly declared, “PDP shall rise again, but we will rise without these three.”
Muoboghare further criticised Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, labelling both as serial defectors, and condemned their current attempt to negotiate a merger between the Labour Party and PDP without the authorisation of the National Working Committee or the Board of Trustees of PDP.
He branded Atiku and Obi as people who trade with the name of their parties for personal gains and also accused them of being responsible for the current weakness in Nigeria’s opposition.
