We are suffering —- PDP staff

STAFF of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat, under the auspices of the PDP Staff Welfare Forum met yesterday to discuss various issues affecting the Party, the continuous shutdown of its national Secretariat by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), the delay by the Court in the dispensation of justice regarding the leadership crisis in the Party and the general welfare of staff. Members present at the meeting included, the supervisory, the intermediate and the junior cadres.

A statement issued after the meeting said that, “after series of discussions and deliberations, the staff welfare forum arrived at the following resolutions:

“The forum welcomed staff into the new year 2017 and discussed about their continuous stay at home and decried the lockup of its National Secretariat by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), a situation which suggests that certain elements want to ensure that the PDP National secretariat is perpetually under lock and key.

“It may be recalled that no court in the country gave the Order for the lockdown of the PDP National Secretariat by the Nigerian Police Force and therefore demanded the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Secretariat to allow staff gain entrance into their offices for routine Party activities.

It is only fair and just for the staff to be allowed into their legitimate offices while the Police is duty bound to provide adequate security for them as provided by the Nigerian constitution.

“The PDP staff welfare forum while appreciating the Judiciary again appealed to them to speedily dispense justice as concerns pending PDP cases before the court in order to save our Democracy from gradually degenerating into a one party state.

“The forum frowned at the incessant petitions by a party in the Case and described it as a delay tactic to subvert justice. The staff of the secretariat believed that the delay is only beneficial to the petitioner, who is being sponsored by the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) in order to weaken and silence the only opposition party.

“The staff of the PDP National Secretariat holds the Judiciary in high esteem and believe in it to remain unbiased and dispense justice that will maintain the sanctity and independence of the rule of law and the court.

“ Finally, the staff of the party’s national secretariat lamented the poor situation of its welfare since the unfortunate outing of the PDP in the last general elections.

“The staff called on all the organs and stakeholders in the party to urgently support the Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee in all ramifications.”