PDP crisis: I won’t resign, says Tukur •As national officers pack out of offices •All options still open — Ekweremadu Written by Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja Wednesday, 19 June 2013 00:00 font size Print Email раскрутка сайтов THE National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has dispelled speculations of his resignation following the submission of the Senator Anyim Pius Anyim-led PDP Select Committee which was said to have recommended his removal from office. This is coming as President Goodluck Jonathan was on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, involved in frantic meetings geared towards the resolution of the numerous crises in the party. The President met with the Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) at the First Lady Wing of the State House after which the PDP boss declared to correspondents that he was not affected by the select committee’s recommendation to resign. He said the offices of the National Secretary, National Financial Secretary and the National Auditor were also not affected by the committee’s recommendation as only national officers whose election was deemed not to have been regular would resign to pave way for new election. Tukur said: “It is not true that I am resigning. Resign for what? It is not true at all. We are here to run the PDP and we have done so and we will continue to run the PDP,” adding, “The chairman is not only in office, he is in power. In PDP, there is no vacancy in the national chairmanship.” Tukur said Monday’s State House meeting was to discuss how to regularise the positions which INEC has said did not follow due process, saying, “the meeting is about regularising the family of PDP because there was INEC observation. Some of the members of the NWC were not properly elected. So it has to be regularized. “Those who have not been elected will resign and they will go back, they will have opportunity to regularise.” The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in a report submitted to the PDP in April observed that most members of its NWC were not duly elected because the convention that produced them was illegal. Those affected are the Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja; the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, National Organising Secretary Abubakar Mustapha; Deputy National Organising Secretary, Okechukwu Nnadozie; Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Binta Goje; National Youth Leader, Garba Chiza; Deputy Youth Leader, Dennis Alonge Niyi; Deputy National Auditor, Umar Ibrahim; National Women Leader, Kema Chikwe; Deputy National Women Leader, Hannatu Ulam; Deputy National Treasurer, Claudus Inengas; and National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwom. In faulting the convention, the INEC report had said 14 of the 16 national officers were not duly elected because the process violated paragraph 6.5 (1) of the guidelines for the conduct of the 2012 congresses and national convention and, therefore, unacceptable. The report said in part: “The mode of election adopted for single candidates were not in accordance with the mode of election stipulated in paragraph 6.9 of the Guidelines for the conduct of year 2012 Congresses and National Convention and therefore unacceptable to the commission. “All other positions had single candidates and were affirmed by motion except for the position of National Chairman which was put to vote by open secret ballot despite having only one candidate.” But the PDP had questioned the INEC report which Metuh described at the time as “abnormal and sinister,” adding that “we are also worried about the aspect of INEC report that said that our convention was not in compliance with its guidelines and as such unacceptable.” Metuh had insisted that the party complied fully with its constitution and therefore has no need to be worried about the commission’s report, adding, “in as much as we complied with our party’s constitution in the convention, we have no problems. So INEC cannot say it is unacceptable.” In continuation of the efforts to resolve the crises, President Jonathan, also at the First Lady Wing of the State House, met with leaders of the National Assembly including Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi and Deputy House Leader, Leo Ogor. Ekweremadu added a twist to the NWC resignation saga when he told State House correspondents that the PDP hierarchy was still in consultation and leaving all options open. “We are still consulting. In the evening, we are going to have a party of the national caucus of the party, look at all the options available to the party. This is party of consultation so that by tomorrow or later this evening we have a position of the PDP on this issue,” he said. Jonathan was also scheduled to attend a meeting of PDP Caucus at Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Tuesday which would be followed today by that of the Board of Trustees (BoT) that will in turn precede the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling party slated for Thursday. Meanwhile, ahead of tomorrow’s deadline to turn in their letters of resignation, the affected national officers of the PDP have started to clear their personal effects away from their offices at the national secretariat in Abuja. Sources at the Wadata House offices of the party revealed to the Nigerian Tribune that some of them began removing their things from the office on Monday night, soon after it became clear to them that the Senator Anyim PDP Select Committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan had recommended their resignation to the president. Most of the NWC members except the National Organizing Secretary and the Youth Leader, did not report for work on Tuesday as staff of the secretariat were seen discussing the impending resignation of the national officers. Some of the staff who confided in the Nigerian Tribune commended the President for approving the committee report and commended him for the bold initiative which they observed was long overdue. They recalled that the NWC has been embroiled in one form of crisis or the other since inception particularly infighting among themselves which bred distrust in the leadership of the ruling party. “PDP has not been able to achieve anything since these national officers came on board. It has been one crisis after another to the extent that nothing is moving in the party at all,” a party worker told the Nigerian Tribune.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:44:42 +0000
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