A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has berated the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party for his suspension from the party. He also said he had no regret supporting the All Progressives Congress to win the governorship election in his home state of Ebonyi.
Anyim, who contested the party’s presidential ticket in 2022, said the leadership should rather hide their faces in shame for leading the party to defeat in the presidential and other elections. He also said the failure of the party to give the suspended members fair hearing before taking such an action had made it a nullity.
The former President of the Senate was suspended by the NWC of the PDP on Thursday over alleged anti-party activities. But in a statement, on Friday, he noted that the NWC should busy itself with how to move the party forward, rather than further dividing it.
The statement partly read, “The action of the NWC is, to say the least, disappointing. I thought the concern of the NWC now would be how to undertake a thorough self-examination on why they performed so poorly in the general elections rather than seek to further divide the party by shifting blame.
“It smacks of arrogance for the NWC to put up a bold face instead of showing remorse and being sober for leading the party to such a colossal loss in the 2023 general elections, thereby dashing the hopes and expectations of party members and indeed Nigerians.”
The party chieftain also accused some members of the NWC of working against the party in the election.
He stated, “It is clear that arising from the leadership style of the NWC, many members intentionally and proudly worked against the party, including members of the NWC. Therefore, it is a display of innate cowardice for the NWC to choose soft targets to suspend and fear those who daily demonise the party.
“It is difficult to explain why the NWC is in a hurry to suspend leaders of the party without recourse to fair hearing, without which their action is null and void.”
Speaking on the Ebonyi governorship race, he stated, “In the case of Ebonyi State, the NWC imposed a candidate from the sitting governor’s zone, contrary to the zoning formula of the state. Every effort to let the NWC see reasons fell on deaf ears.
“On the day the party’s presidential rally was held in Ebonyi State, I told Dr. (Iyorchia) Ayu I was boycotting the rally because I cannot support the candidate they imposed on Ebonyi State. Dr. Ayu did nothing. He did not care even as I did not attend the Ebonyi rally. The NWC may wish to know that I am proud to have supported the APC governorship candidate to win the election because that conforms with the equitable formula in Ebonyi State. It is therefore my expectation that the NWC should reverse itself in the interest of the party.”
