A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday set up a new political party in Abuja.
The party, which has yet to be registered, is known as the Peoples Mega Party.
The faction is led by Mr. Perry Opara, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Political Adviser Ahmed Gulak.
Gukak recently declared himself as the national chairman of the PDP. However, many members of the party rejected his leadership. The new party is believed to have been formed by persons working for aggrieved members of the PDP.
At the National Executive Council/national retreat held by the promoters of the new party, its Acting National Chairman, Opara told the delegates that the party’s mission was to provide a focused and patriotic body.
He said the crisis over the resignation of the former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu also led to the setting up of the new party.
Opara flayed the national leadership of the party for its refusal to allow someone from the North-East replace Mu’azu after the former governor of Bauchi State resigned after the 2015 general elections.
He said, “We tried to examine why the party lost, how to rebrand it and all that but unfortunately, all efforts were rebuffed.
“We went through the country to see who would represent us. We went to Alex Ekwueme and Sen. Ken Nnamani to lead us.
“At a stage, Ekwueme led a delegation to the national headquarters of the party to allow the North-East have a new chairman.
“For four hours, we couldn’t get any word from the NWC as words of commitment. We all left in anger and in dejection.”
He said unlike what happened in England where the leaders of a particular political party resigned after losing election, leaders of the PDP decided to entrench themselves after leading the party to defeat.
“That is impunity. Some said they were going to make the party strong and make it a strong opposition party, “ he added.
He said the rift between the members of the PDP was the reason why the majority of the people in the new party left the former ruling party.
Opara said, “The major people in the party are former members of the PDP who are disenchanted with the high-level corruption, impunity and high-handedness in the PDP.”
Opara said members of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, were desirous of joining the new party.
However, Opara declined to mention names of the PDP and APC members behind the party, saying no one among them had given permission to make it open.
– Punch
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