The factional chairman of the ruling People Democratic Party, PDP, in Adamawa State, Joel Madaki, loyal to the National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, has said that the state governor, Murtala Nyako, will be punished for engaging in anti-party activities.
Mr. Madaki stated this on Thursday during the state executives’ meeting where he read the riot act to the state government, asking him to pay workers in the state their two-month outstanding salaries and other allowances. The state civil servants are currently on strike, promising to continue until all their entitlements are paid.
Mr. Madaki, speaking to the press, disclosed that he had sent a recommendation from the disciplinary committee set up by his faction of the PDP to the National Working Committee, NWC, asking it to take disciplinary measures against Mr. Nyako for encouraging anti-party activities.
Mr. Madaki said that the state PDP executives had discovered instances of anti-party activity committed by officials in Mr. Nyako’s administration during the recently concluded by-election for Nassawo-Binyeri State Constituency. Those summoned for questioning on the issue shunned the invitation of the Madaki-led executives.
“Those invited where however instructed not to honour our invitation through a paid announcement by the former PDP, Secretary. Their failure to honour our invitation is a flagrant disregard to party supremacy. Certainly, they can never be left unpunished,” Mr. Madaki said.
He blamed the Nyako-led government for derailing from the mission statement of the PDP, to ensure that there exists a functional civil service that has the responsibility of executing government policies.
“Our investigations on the operation of the civil service only exist in name. Brilliant and professional civil servants who would have contributed to the development of the state have been rendered redundant. This has portrayed our PDP government in bad light; and when we fail to make self-assessment and criticism then vibrant opposition parties will do it for us. As it is, the civil service in Adamawa State is an epitome of a decaying living creature,” Mr Madaki bemoaned.
He disclosed that he carried out an independent investigation where he discovered that the PDP-led government owes civil servants two months’ salary, leave grant and other allowances.
“If there is no civil servant, then there can be no government. The state exco of PDP is therefore calling on Governor Nyako to, as a matter of urgency, take steps to pay the civil servants their entitlements.
“We understand that the value of two months outstanding salaries had been released to Adamawa State Government by the Federal Government. To the best of our knowledge there had been no specific project for the utilization of the money nor was there a request to the Adamawa State House of Assembly for their appropriation of the money. However, the Civil Servants had complied with all the extant labour laws before embarking on the strike and therefore are entitled for payment of salary,” Mr. Madaki stated.
He said that the party is going to stand against the “No work no pay” statement credited to the state government, stressing that the formula would not hold water and the party will continue to advocate for the payment of civil servants entitlements until they are fully paid.
However, reacting to the allegations levelled against the state governor by Mr. Madaki, a party stalwart, P.P. Elisha described the factional chairman as a drowning man who wants to be politically relevant by all means. He said that the factional chairman is working according to the script written by the National Chairman of the Party. Mr. Elisha accused Mr. Tukur of trying to factionalise the party in his own state ahead of the 2015 general election.
“Instead of our National Chairman to settle his political rifts with Governor Nyako what he does is to factionalise the party. He decided to force a leader on us by taking a unilateral decision recognising his created faction leader Chief Joel Madaki as Adamawa State PDP Chairman. Tukur did not take into cognisance the recommendations of the Governor Sule Lamido Presidential Committee on Adamawa State PDP,” he said.
Mr. Elisha insisted that Mr. Madaki is a Labour Party returnee who is yet to be absorbed as a full-fledged member of the party but was recruited by Mr. Tukur to do his bidding in the state. He explained that there is no way a constituted leadership of the party led by Mijinyawa Kugama will submit itself to Mr. Madaki’s illegal exco supported by Mr. Tukur.
“Madaki faction is illegitimate and I don’t see why government functionaries will appear before a committee whose members consist of Labour Party returnees,” he said.
Mr. Elisha pointed out that the Adamawa State Government has a cordial relationship with labour and accused Mr. Tukur and his foot soldiers of trying to create bad blood between the government and the workforce.
“When did Joel Madaki turn to labour leader in Adamawa State that is now fighting for their interest if it’s not based on mischief, ” Mr. Elisha asked.
Source: Premium Times
