Follow Us on Google
•Sets up committee to review failed peace moves
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of “impoverishing Nigerians” and leading the country “into an avoidable recession.”
The PDP Caucus in the House of Representatives, made the claim, yesterday, and added that “the worst PDP administration is 100 times better than the best government under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
Chairman of the House Caucus’ Ad-hoc Committee on the PDP crisis, Pat Asadu, said this in Abuja, at the inauguration of the committee, yesterday.
“The PDP government was not and could never have been perfect, but, the worst of the PDP government is 100 times better than the best of the present APC government.
“We all are witnesses to a party under which the government has not only impoverished our people by leading us into an avoidable recession, without a single clue as to how to get us out of it, but also runs a government under which all truly democratic institutions are under siege; under which ethnic, regional and religious tensions have been promoted to unacceptable and unhealthy levels by selective application of the rule of law, systematic breaches of the federal character principle and through an obnoxious and nauseating policy of government by exclusion of large segments of the society, and a loud insensitivity to the insecurity of lives and property nationwide.”
Asadu said it would take only a cursory look at the almost two years of the present government “for all to acknowledge that Nigeria needs its beloved party, the PDP, in whatever shape or form, not just as a vibrant democratic party, but also as the party that forms and runs the government.”
The 13-man committee was inaugurated by the Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, who said it was set up by the caucus to review the various peace moves to resolve the leadership crisis in the PDP. The committee is also to examine the effects of the leadership crisis in the opposition party and submit its report within two weeks from the date of its first sitting.
The PDP has been polarised between the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi since May 21 last year.
In May 2016, the party’s national convention, which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, sacked the Sheriff-led NWC and replaced it with Makarfi’s caretaker committee.
That action triggered a chain of litgations in several courts across the country. Attempts by the caretaker committee to hold a national convention in Port Harcourt, last August was thwarted by a court order from Sheriff.
But, an Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, in a judgment last February, nullified Sheriff’’s sack and declared him “the authentic national chairman of the party.” The judgment has been appealed by the caretaker committee with the support of the various organs of the party. The Supreme Court is billed to commence hearing on the appeal later this month.
Since the crisis broke out last year, there have been several efforts to resolve the PDP crisis, but the moves ended in futility.
The most recent peace move was a stakeholders’ meeting convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan to work out a political solution to the party’s crisis. However, that effort crumbled as Sheriff walked out on Jonathan and other PDP leaders for allegedly not recognised to speak as national chairman.
Sheriff later told journalists that he was sticking with the recommendations of the party’s Reconciliation Committee headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.
The Dickson committee had, in its report, recommended that the party should hold a National Unity Convention not later than June 2017.
The committee also recommended that membership of the convention planning committee should be drawn from the Governors Forum, the party’s caucus in both chambers of the National Assembly and other interest groups in the party.
Although the embattled PDP chairman had repeatedly expressed his desire to hold a national convention, where a new party leadership will be elected, that plan has been stalled by his inability to hold a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party.
Article 31(2)a of the PDP constitution (as amended in 2012) vests the power to convene a national convention and set up a Convention Organising Committee on the NEC.
Sheriff’s inability to convene NEC meeting is due to opposition of the majority of the members to his leadership. The PDP top notchers have vowed not to have anything to do with the party leader.
The NEC, which is the second highest organ of the party after the National Convention, is made up of PDP governors, select members of National Assembly caucus of the party in both chambers, the six national vice chairmen and state chairmen of the party, among others.
