Fresh PDP faction sets up parallel NWC

The ‘Fresh PDP’ is a recalcitrant group comprising a few individuals in the mainstream Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group is protesting the outcome of the December 9, 2017 national convention of the PDP where a new set of national officials emerged.

Another faction of the “New PDP” had a few days ago, announced a voluntary dissolution of the group and a return to the mainstream PDP.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the splinter group also announced plans to embark on membership drive nationwide, saying its ‎membership registration would be done electronically.

The Interim National Chairman of the splinter group, Obi-Nwosu Emmanuel, who addressed the media, said his faction of the “Fresh PDP” would organise an elective national convention after its membership registration.

Obi-Nwosu said his group was ready to work with the Coalition for Nigeria, unveiled by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday.

According to him, the group will certainly turn out to be the “much needed pivot” for the proposed coalition.

“The NWC is expected to liaise with ‎all the 37 state caretaker chairmen to ensure the immediate commencement of electronic membership registration so as to provide an authentic register for the elective national convention.

“We need a clear cut ‎action that will show us as a rebranded party; devoid of all the negativities which Chief Obasanjo very rightly captured in his last letter.

“Time is running out on our dear party and we must rise without further delay to make the best of the little time left. There is no doubt that Nigerians will very much prefer PDP to APC in 2019, but that PDP will certainly not be the same old PDP, which is fraught with impunity and imposition,” he said.

Stating that the newly appointed NWC members would be inaugurated soon, Obi-Nwosu said those who announced the collapse of the “Fresh PDP” into the mainstream PDP compromised.