The National Integration Committee, South-South zone, set up by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party to reconcile aggrieved members of the party has said it would not allow any minister or governor from the zone to compromise it.
The committee was reacting to allegations levelled against it by some aggrieved members of the party from Rivers State that the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, had compromised its members.
The aggrieved members were allegedly beaten and refused entrance to the venue of the meeting of the committee in Abuja on Thursday.
Some of them were also allegedly locked up in a room inside the Legacy House where members of the committee met, and prevented from presenting their petitions.
But the committee, which ended its sitting in Abuja on Friday after listening to petitions from Cross River State, gave an assurance that its recommendations would promote internal democracy in the party.
The committee, which began sitting on Wednesday, received party delegates from Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Rivers and Cross River states who filed petitions before it.
There was no petition or representative from Bayelsa State, the home-state of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Iya Abubakar, who briefed journalists at the end of the three-day session, said the committee had “very useful, peaceful and productive interactions” with the persons and groups who appeared before it.
He said, “There is no way we can be compromised by the governors or any minister. Nobody can compromise me and my committee members.
“Those who accused us of being compromised should provide evidence. The politics of soiled names and integrity is on. Those who were not able to enter this place are the ones making the allegations.
“Nobody in this country can compromise us in this committee. You will definitely see a change in this party soon.” Punch
