BEVERLY HILLS, CA, November 12, (THEWILL) – The National Chairman of the faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that calls itself the new PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said his resignation will give him “room and time to manage the nPDP adequately” and botch future plots by the Presidency to use his appointment as chair of the NRC to blackmail or embarrass him in the future.
The Tukur led PDP Monday suspended Baraje from the party alongside Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure over anti-party activities.
The full text of the statement announcing Baraje’s resignation from the board of the NRC reads: “The National Chairman of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Tuesday resigned his position as Chairman of the Nigeria Railway Corporation Governing Board to give him room and time to manage the nPDP adequately and avoid any insinuation or plot to use the appointment of his NRC Chairmanship to blackmail or embarrass him in future. According to him the struggle to emancipate and enthrone proper democracy in our polity is a task that must be won.
The decision was conveyed through a “LETTER OF GRATITUDE AND RESIGNATION OF APPOINTMENT AS CHAIRMAN, NIGERIA RAILWAY CORPORATION GOVERNING BOARD” addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.
The letter personally signed by Alhaji Baraje said: “I hasten to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, through your good office for the confidence he placed in my ability to have appointed me to such an exalted position as Chairman, Nigeria Railway Corporation.
“His Excellency, Mr. President, will recall that this appointment came from his discretion in allotting some positions to our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, it is no longer news that there is an ongoing disagreement in principle between some top stakeholders of our party of which I am among on the one hand and the current leadership of the party on the other. This quagmire has upturned my belief in the present leadership of our great party and has consequently made my continued stay as the Chairman, Nigeria Railway Corporation Governing Board uncomfortable.
“Realizing that the position of the Nigeria Railway Corporation Chairmanship was allocated to the party and of which I am supposed to symbolize, I would appreciate if your good office could please convey to His Excellency, Mr. President, of my intention to relinquish this position with immediate effect because I can no longer represent the interest of the party whose leadership I no longer believe in.
“Sample of the letter is attached for your perusal and action accordingly.”
