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Monday, October 17, 2005 |
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE updated: 17 Oct 2005
PDP heads for fresh crisis
A major crisis is looming in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the alleged handling of the finances of the party as well as the just concluded registration of party members and its congresses. Findings by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) who felt sidelined in the handling of party matters, especially finances and composition of committees for party registration and congresses, as well as the suit filled against the party on the conduct of the congresses and convention, were said to be threatening to confront the national chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali, openly over his action.
One of the NWC members was said to have complained to some party members from his state that the names of party members sent to Senator Ali for consideration as committee members were rejected. The NWC member also complained that there was lopsidedness in the composition of the committees, citing the registration exercise as follows: North West 164, North-East 82, South-East 68, North Central 44, South-South 64 while President Olusegun Obasanjo’s zone, South-West, got 27 slots.
It was also learnt that some NWC members were worried about the handling of finances of the party for the registration exercise and the congresses/convention as a special bank account was said to have been opened with one of the new generation banks without the knowledge of other members. More than N200 million were alleged to have been spent through the account on the exercises.
Also, the members are said to be complaining about the secrecy with which lawyers were hired for the defence of the congresses and convention litigation on which N80 million had allegedly been spent, while the issue was also reportedly not discussed at any of the NWC meetings.
According to another member of the NWC, “we are just being used to rubber-stamp everything without seeking our opinion on how best to handle the numerous problems confronting the party.” Though the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. John Odey, could not be immediately reached for comments, a member of NWC who did not want his name in print confirmed the development, saying that most of the issues had been raised before Senator Ali himself and President Obasanjo as well as the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Tony Anenih. |
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9:36:12 AM 
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Monday, October 17 2005 New Age Online
PDP CONGRESSES:Crises everywhere
•Atiku’s group protests. IBB elected delegate
•Party over-rules Bayelsa Dep. Gov
By CHUKS OHUEGBE, Abuja, SOLA BALOGUN, Ibadan, ABU ANYOMEGUN, Minna and UCHE OSIBE, Awka
The weekend ward and local government congresses of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP may have run into murky waters as the aftermath has snowballed into crises everywhere, even as results will start to trickle into the PDP national secretariat, Abuja today.
Following last week’s ruling of an Abuja High Court, reversing the party’s decision to conduct the exercise on a non-elective basis, the PDP National Working Committee, (NWC) announced its compliance with the court order while disclosing its intention to appeal the judgement.
The conduct of weekend’s congresses and the protests that have continued to trail the exercise, may have rubbished the announcement of a u-turn to elective congresses.
Given its displeasure over the exercise, the Adamawa state chapter of the PDP has protested to the PDP national chairman, Senator Ahmadu Alli, warning that the party may suffer irreversible misfortunes should “the manipulation of the re-registration of members was redressed.”
This was the highpoint of a letter delivered to the national chairman by the Deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Bello Tukur over the weekend in Abuja.
The protest letter which was copied President Olusegun Obasanjo, Vice President Atiku Abubakar and chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, called for the cancellation of the whole exercise in the state and requested for another team with people of proven intergrity to be sent to carry out the exercise.
“At this juncture, we deem it necessary to point out here that the team sent to Adamawa state under the leadership of Prof. Jubril Aminu was an insult to the intelligence of those of us who are committed to the cause of our great party and good people of Adamawa State as well. The entire exercise is totally unacceptable,” the letter stated.
Speaking further, the group that is believed to be made up of people in the Atiku faction, said that over “70 per cent of PDP members are not registered in Adamawa State. All party exco, council chairmen and their councillors who were elected to their offices on the platform of PDP were and still are not registered, some of the national and state assembly members including all political appointees from Adamawa state are also not registered.”
It also alleged that those who were charged with PDP registration/ revalidation of members in the state have forwarded a list of candidates alleged to have elected when such candidates were not at any moment presented for “affirmation and the majority of them were those who carry membership of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.”
But in Niger State, the local government congresses of PDP took place in all the 25 local government areas. With all the former officials returned unopposed, while General Ibrahim Babangida was elected as a delegate.
NewAge correspondent who monitored the election in the state reports that the elective congresses were more of endorsement than an election, except some few officials of the party who were replaced because they lost favour with the government at the state level.
For instance, at Bida, the vice chairman of the party, Alhaji Isah Lakpene was denied registration and was not returned. Invariably he was not among the old exco endorsed by the party.
In Chanchaga and Bosso local government, our correspondent reports that all the executive members remained at Bosso whereas it was not seen whether the congresses took place at Chanchaga local government, an indication that even the endorsement and selection did not take place.
Speaking to NewAge on phone, Alhaji Lakpene stated that he was denied the card based on the belief that he was campaigning for Vice President Atiku Abubakar for presidency and Senator Isa Mohammed for governorship.
Meanwhile, Babangida at his Sabongari ward was elected as a delegate during the local government congresses of the party, though no public contest was known to journalist.
The PDP chairman of Chanchaga, who was returned, Alhaji Wona Kolo told journalists that Babangida contested against Mr. Mark Numba, saying that by the arrangement, Babangida will now be a delegate at the forthcoming state and national congresses.
As for the Oyo state chapter, the peace brokered by President Olusegun Obasanjo between Governor Rashidi Ladoja and his political god father, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu,may have finally hit the rocks as the congresses of the party produced two parallel chairmen in most of the councils across the state.
Besides, the event were also marked with violence in some councils like Saki and Akinyele councils where bloody clashes ensued between supporters of the governor and Alhaji Yekini Adeojo.
Last minute efforts to ensure that the congresses were used to further cement the existing cordial relationship among leaders of the party proved abortive as Friday meeting held at the instance of the state governor ended without any concrete agreement on harmonized list for the congresses.
At police playing ground Yemetu Ibadan where Governor Ladoja voted, two persons-Alhaji Raimi Gbadamosi and Alhaji Musiliu Anibaba, were declared as chairmen of Ibadan North local government of the party.
After the voting was conducted for all the party delegates on queue, Alhaji Gbadamosi from Ward 8 of the council was declared the winner of the election and this was certified by representative of Chief Ebenezer Babatope, the accredited supervisor for the state PDP congresses.
At Oyo town, the cold war between Ladoja and Adeojo manifested as two individuals were declared Chairmen for Atiba local Government council of the party with one Josinde declared for the governor’s faction while Chief Adedile was declared chairman for the Adeojo group.
The report was the same at Saki West local government where Alhaji Fasansi Apata was declared chairman for Ladoja’s faction while Alhaji Safarudeen Aderogba was the chairman for Adeojo’s faction of the party.
However, violent clashes broke out in two different councils of the state over the election largely regarded as factionalized at Akinyele and Saki local governments.
Supporters of the two groups engaged each other in a bloody clash in which several persons were injured but no death was recorded.
As for Bayelsa state, the Samuel Ogbemudia -chaired National Congress and Convention Planning Committee [NCCPC] yesterday overruled the deputy governor of the state Jonathan Goodluck over his cancellation of last weekend’s ward and local government congresses which held in the state, saying that only the committee reserves the authority to postpone, cancel or make any authoritative pronouncement on the exercises.
Ogbomudia’s reaction, which was contained in a -one page statement issued yesterday was sequel to the suspension of the exercises in Bayelsa state by the deputy governor. The statement reads in parts: “This is to inform all PDP members and Nigerians that the authority to conduct ward and local government congresses as well as collate and release results therefrom, is vested in the NCCPC by the NEC of PDP.
“All PDP members and the general public are to ignore pronouncements on the just concluded PDP Ward and LGA Congresses which do not emanate from NCCPC Secretariat.”
Meanwhile, the Wadata plaza headquarters of the PDP in Abuja will be a bee-hive of activities as state chapters begin to take their turns to submit the results of weekend's ward and local government congresses.
Anambra State where seeming successful congresses were held is among the states to submit its result of the exercise today in Abuja.
This is coming on the backdrop of believed boycot of the last Saturday's elective ward and local government congresses by loyalists of the State Governor, Chris Ngige who secured an Ogidi High Court Order to scuttle the non-elective ward congresses two Saturdays ago.
The boycott by the governor's group did not stop the loyalists of Chief Chris Uba, the expelled caucus leader of PDP in the state, from going ahead to hold the elective congresses.
Chris Uba's elder brother and senator representing Anambra South Senatorial constituency in the National Assembly, Senator Ugochukwu Uba who was appointed the returning officer for the elective congresses left Awka for Abuja late Saturday after the exercise to submit the results of the elective congresses.
Senator Uba told NewAge shortly before he travelled that the ward and congresses were peaceful and successful, pointing out that he would submit the results today in Abuja. He said that the ward congress took place in the morning hours while the local government congress took place in the afternoon of the same Saturday and praised the co-ordinators and Supervisors for a job well done. | |
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8:48:34 AM
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© Copyright 2005 oguchi.
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