*Party also axes Sam Jaja, Kazaure *It's a party of impunity, says Osun ex-gov

After an emergency meeting in Abuja Monday, the National Working Committee of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) announced the immediate suspension of key members of the Abubakar Baraje-led splinter group.

They are the National Chairman of the splinter group, Baraje, the just reinstated National Secretary of the party, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and the National Deputy Chairman of the splinter group, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja.

Also suspended is the PDP National Vice Chairman (North West), Alhaji Ibrahim Kazaure.

The party's National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, said that the suspension became imperative because of the alleged violation of party rules and constitution by the affected members.

He declared that the suspended members had grossly breached section (58) (1) (b) (g) (h) and (I).

Metuh said the suspension of the four had been referred to the party's disciplinary committee for further investigation and action.

The PDP scribe said the party leadership uncovered several attempts by the suspended persons at stealing the identity of the PDP.

He said the party decided to leave out the aggrieved governors because they never pronounced themselves as officers of the party.

Metuh explained that three of the suspended members pronounced themselves as officers of the party which they called New PDP.

But in a reaction, Oyinlola said: "This is part of the impunity we are protesting against. None of us has been queried or requested to give explanations for any alleged offence. And if they are reacting to the issue of the new PDP, why did they decide to leave out the serving state governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives who have been very vocal? It's all an attempt to circumvent the ruling of the Court of Appeal. Certainly, the last has not been heard about this matter and I am sure that truth will prevail over falsehood.''

Section 58 of the constitution of the PDP which the suspended members were alleged to have violated reads: "58 (1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the party shall have power to discipline any member who:

(a) Commits any breach of the party's constitution, and or manifesto;

(b) Says or does anything likely to bring the party into disrepute, hatred or contempt;

(c) Disobeys or neglects to carry out lawful directives of the party or any organ or officer of the party;

(d) Engages in dishonest practices, defrauds the party, its members or officials;

(e) Is persistently absent from meetings or other official duties;

(f) Engages in anti-party activities;

(g) Engages in disorderly conduct at meetings or rallies or at any party function;

(h) Engages in any conduct likely to cause disaffection among members of the party or is likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of the business of the party; and

(i) Engages in unauthorised publicity of disputes within the party or creates a parallel party organ at any level."

To enable them to take a final stand ahead of a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan this week, the group of seven aggrieved PDP governors met in Abuja on Sunday night till early hours of yesterday morning to articulate and harmonise positions.

The meeting, which took place at the Kano Governor's Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, was held behind closed-doors and attended among others by Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers; Babangida Aliyu of Niger State; AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara; and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano.

It was devoid of any encounter with the police as in the previous meetings of the group.

The crisis in the ruling party that has brought the Bamanga Tukur leadership into a serious face-off with the aggrieved governors came to a climax on August 31, 2013 when the governors and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and their supporters stormed out of the party's national convention to announce a break-away faction led by Baraje.

When the meeting ended at exactly 12.20 a.m. yesterday morning, Aliyu, in response to journalists' questions, said the governors discussed the Appeal Court's judgment which restored Oyinlola as PDP's National Secretary.

He said the group was very happy with the judgment but added that Oyinlola would resume as soon as "all due processes were completed on the matter."

According to the governor, all due processes would be completed when all parties involved have been served with copies of the judgment.

And on the meeting of the group with the President, Aliyu said that Jonathan was yet to extend an official invitation to them, adding that anytime they received such an invitation, the G-7 governors would honour it.

Although the spokesman of the PDP splinter group, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the outcome of the Sunday night's meeting was not for public consumption, it was learnt that the governors had identified some key issues to be tabled before Jonathan when they meet him during the week.

Among issues the governors had tabled before the Olusegun Obasanjo-led elders of the party as their grievances were the immediate and unconditional recall of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi from suspension, return of PDP structures to the aggrieved governors in their various states, and the review of the 2012 PDP convention which produced Tukur as Chairman.

A source said that many of the governors asked Jonathan to give a directive to that effect.