PDP compels employees to take oath of secrecy

The Peoples Democratic Party has administered an oath of secrecy to its members of staff as part of its efforts to control the flow of information in and outside the party.

The compulsory oath, which took many of the workers by surprise, was supervised on Thursday by the Acting National Secretary of the party, Chief Solomon Onwe.

Some of the workers, who spoke with our correspondent on Sunday, complained about the oath, which they said was aimed at victimising perceived enemies by some leaders of the party.

They said that some members of the National Working Committee of the PDP were not happy with them and had been doing everything possible to replace them with their loyalists.

The workers claimed that Onwe told them that anyone suspected to be fraternising with journalists might be summarily dismissed if the party found out that a piece of information was leaked by any of them.

One of the workers said, “On Thursday, we swore to an oath of secrecy which the party said was meant to control the flow of information at its secretariat.

“We were also warned to stay away from you people (journalists) and that anyone of us who fraternised with you could be sacked without any query.

“You will recollect that a cleaner was sacked few months ago for telling reporters that they (cleaners) were being owed five months’ salaries. That is the kind of treatment they say awaits some of us, including directors, if they suspect that we are close to you people (journalists).”

But another member of staff said they were not surprised with the attitude of the NWC members, whom he accused of being desperate to fill the secretariat with their cronies.

“You can see their retinue of aides. None of the former NWC members had the number of aides these present NWC members have,” he added.

Efforts to speak with both Onwe and the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, on the issue were not successful.

They neither picked their calls nor responded to text messages sent to their telephones

In a veiled reference to the happenings in the party, its National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, said the PDP needed to maintain discipline and good conduct among its members. Tukur stated this in a statement which he signed in Abuja on Sunday.

He said the leadership of the PDP did not harbour any malice against any of its members.

Tukur said, “We harbour no malice against any member. We only do not want to be a flock without a Shephard. If we are not disciplined as a party, we certainly may not be able to produce the most progressive government in line with the greatest expectation of every Nigerian and the rest of the world.”