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The Peoples Democratic Party has read the Riot Act to all elected representatives and other members of the party against the scourge of indiscipline considered inimical to the realisation of its objectives.
The acting chairman of the party, Alhaji Haliru Bello, said that the long history of indiscipline in the PDP was responsible for the noticeable drop in the party's fortunes in the April general elections.
Although the PDP, which produced the President, has control of 23 out of the 36 states in the federation, 24 state houses of assembly and decisive majority of seats in the two chambers of the National Assembly, the party lost five states and several seats in the national and state legislatures.
The five states lost by the PDP in the last election are Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Zamfara and Imo.
Also, President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday that all members of the PDP must subject themselves to the ethos of loyalty, internal democracy and party discipline, which according to him, are inevitable even as he harped on effective collaboration between the executive, the legislature and the party's leadership in the interest of the country.
Jonathan said that the PDP leadership would introduce and enforce reforms to ensure that the condemnable acts of indiscipline perpetrated by individuals or groups against the collective position of the party were put under check.
He said, "Therefore, the reforms to transform the polity must begin at home. We must all work together to subject our party to the much needed reform so that it can position itself for the great task ahead.
"We must democratise our decision-making process so that party's decision would be easier to enforce. We must consult more, build consensus and take decisions in the best interest of our country and our party."
The President and Bello hinted at the party's readiness to confront the scourge of indiscipline in its fold while speaking at a two-day retreat for the President, governors and National Assembly members-elect in Abuja on Friday.
The PDP chairman said that the PDP lost in some of the states and the National Assembly because of acts of indiscipline occasioned by the decision of some party members to dishonour party directives.
He said that the PDP would not allow such acts that could threaten its unity, cohesion and effectiveness.
Source: The Punch