Jega’s membership tears PRP apart

Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Members and chieftains of People’s Redemption Party (PRP) have expressed reservations over the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, holding a sensitive position in the party.
They hinged their reservations on the fact that Jega was instrumental to deregistration of the party as the election management board umpire before it was reinstated after legal battles.
Reacting to the development, the chairman Board of Trustees, Balarabe Musa, said that although he had resolved not to discuss the issue behind the crisis in the party in the media, he was however not comfortable with the sensitive role assigned to him.
“The rumour that they are planning to muscle me out of the party is really spreading but the truth is that we are taking the matter carefully.
“I don’t want to discuss the issue of his joining the party in the media or with any other person; I can only discuss it with the National Executive Committee of the party and the Board of Trustees of the party.
“Since it is our internal problem, I can feel free to discuss the situation with them before the matter gets out of hand,” he noted in a telephone interview with our correspondent.
When asked if he was comfortable with his membership of the party, the second Republican governor of Kaduna State said: “Of course, I am comfortable with his membership of our party because he made a call to people before joining the party and many believe that he would help the party to grow stronger.
“Therefore, since we cannot oppose his joining the party, we also called for caution to be taken particularly when we take into consideration what he did to the party some time ago.
“Again, he was appointed chairman of a crucial committee of the party and we are not comfortable about that. We feel that care and caution should be exercised,” he quipped..