Follow Us on Google
- Wike’s faction declares convention in Ibadan illegal, mere social gathering
- No stopping it unless… –Wabara
- Saraki calls for appointment of caretaker
- We’re studying court rulings on convention – INEC
- Conflicting judgments, orders not judicial failure, says NJI
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to get messier as the internal conflicts get worse. The situation is further aggravated by the series of contradicting court judgments.
This is as the faction backed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has rejected the legitimacy of the upcoming national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan.
Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Mao Ohuabunwa, made this known following the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja yesterday. He described the planned convention as unlawful and likened it to a mere social gathering, urging that those attending should not expect an official party event.
“Those interested in going to Ibadan to relax and catch fun are free to do so, but not for PDP convention, describing the exercise as illegal and a jamboree.”
He noted that the PDP National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, had circulated a notification about postponing the convention and stressed compliance with court rulings.
“We have met as the national working committee of the PDP, and reviewed our activities. We have agreed to obey all the court decisions on the Ibadan convention. So, we are not part of the exercise.
“Ibadan is a public place, people can go for anything but not for convention, anyone going there in the name of convention should consider it a jamboree. We won’t tolerate fragrant abuse of the constitution by some individuals in the name of a convention.”
Meanwhile, the acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Muhammad, urged delegates nationwide to refrain from participating in the Ibadan event and be patient for a properly sanctioned convention. He assured continuous efforts to unite and strengthen the party throughout Nigeria.
“We are concerned with moving PDP forward, therefore, all delegates across the country should stay away from the Ibadan convention,” Muhammad said.
Echoing the party’s stance, Wike praised party members for their steadfast support in various regions and reaffirmed his commitment to the rule of law and protecting believers in the party’s constitution.
“I’m happy with your concern about the party in your respective areas, I will continue to support you people, I won’t betray you people,” he pledged.
Following the protracted crisis, former Senate president, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called for suspension of the planned National Convention scheduled.
The former two-term governor of Kwara State, in a post on his official X handle shortly after receiving members of another faction Board of Trustees’ (BOT) Reconciliation Team, led by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, said going ahead with the convention would worsen the party’s crisis.
“Despite the selfless efforts by some of us, the convention has become mired in political and legal controversies, which does not bode well for our party or Nigeria’s democracy,” he told the delegation that visited him to seek his advice on restoring peace and unity within the party.
Saraki warned that political matters are best settled through dialogue, not in the courts.
He said the conflicting judgments over the convention’s legality had created uncertainty over its validity.
“As it stands, there are conflicting court orders on the convention. There’s no assurance its outcome will stand,” he said.
He explained that, as a leader, he could not support any process that would jeopardise the aspirations of his people or the party’s unity.
“Going ahead with the convention in Ibadan will fuel the current crisis. It does not have my support. It’s not too late to find a win-win solution,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has attributed the crisis rocking the party to the tussle by some members to control party machinery, so as to advance their political interests in the 2031 general election.
Wabara stated this, while responding to questions from journalists, shortly after receiving the report of the BoT’s reconciliation team, set up last week to resolve the party’s crisis, yesterday, in Abuja.
The BoT chairman, who insisted that the crisis in the PDP is self-inflicted, explained that some members want the opposition party dead before the 2027 polls, with a plan to “resurrect” it thereafter for the pursuit of personal political ambitions in the 2031 polls.
Nonetheless, he maintained that the board was committed to doing everything it can to ensure that the party does not go under.
“As far as I am concerned, there is actually no crisis. I have always said it; if you go through my speeches in Board of Trustees’ meetings, I have always said that all these problems we have in PDP are self-inflicted problems. And you know, in politics it is a function of interest. Everybody has one or two interests.
“The problem there is elective interests, which they have even fixed up till 2031. So, some people want the party dead now, and then they will resurrect it in 2031 for their personal use. So, we know all these things.
“They don’t believe in democracy or in opposition. Opposition does not mean taking over power. Opposition generally is to guide the ruling party to do the right thing, provided those criticisms are very objective,” he said.
Other News
The PDP has been embedded in crisis in the aftermath of the 2023 polls with the PDP Governors’ Forum led by Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, and Wike engaged in supremacy tussle in the party.
However, the crisis escalated on November 1 with the break-up of the NWC into two factions, resulting in suspension and counter-suspension of party officials.
The day before, a Federal High Court in Abuja had, in its judgment in a suit filed by three aggrieved members, Austin Nwachukwu, Nnanna Amah and George Turnah, directed the party to halt plans for its November 15 and 16 National Convention, for not complying with its constitution and other extant rules.
In its immediate reaction to the judgment, the NWC under the leadership of the national chairman, Umar Damagum, suspended the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu. The party also suspended the national organising secretary, Umar Bature and the national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, as well as the deputy national legal adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha, for one month, over alleged anti-party activities.
In a retaliatory move, Anyanwu, after a meeting with other group of the NWC members, announced the suspension of Damagum and the PDP deputy national chairman, South, Taofeek Arapaja for alleged anti-party activities, and stated that the party’s national vice chairman, North Central, Abdulraham Mohammed, has been appointed to serve as acting chairman.
Others suspended for alleged anti-party activities, according to him, were National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba; Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshedo; National Youth Leader, Sulaiman Kadade and National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyenguikoro.
Last week, an Oyo State High Court, granted an ex parte order, giving the party a clearance to go ahead with its November 15 and 16 National Convention.
Also, another Federal High Court in Abuja, in a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, granted an ex parte halting the PDP National Convention.
Last week, the BoT set up a six-member committee to reconcile warring factions in the party. In a twist, the Mohammed camp met and dissolved the Wabara-led BoT and appointed Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, as the replacement for the former Senate President.
Also, Mohammed-led NWC announced the cancellation of the National Convention, hinging its decision on the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, while the Damagum-led camp said the exercise would go on as scheduled.
Wabara insisted that there is no going back on the National Convention, unless the Court decides, stating that even those who are opposed to the national convention need the party.
He explained that the decision of the PDP to go ahead with the National Convention was based on a judgement by the Supreme Court.
He said: “It is absolutely practical or practicable, if you want to use that word for us to go to the convention. All the organs of the party, before these individual opinions, had agreed that we would go to the convention. You know the Governor’s Forum, the NWC, the Board of Trustees, in our last meeting, our communique, made mention of us going for the convention.
“But if, for any reason, the Court decides otherwise, we will suspend it. We are relying on the judgment of the Supreme Court, which should have guided the lower courts as of now to take a decision. I mean, in a civilised world, these things are interwoven and interconnected.
“You don’t make all kinds of issues, all kinds of orders, when the Supreme Court has deliberated on that. So, you are more or less challenging the Supreme Court of the land, but in Nigeria anything goes. But as far as the organs of the party are concerned, the convention will hold.
“But, if we are stopped by the courts, we are a law-abiding party, we have always been there, we will still get there, then we will probably obey the law, or obey the last order, as the case may be.”
However, a chieftain of the party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, told journalists yesterday in Abuja that it is not in the interest of the party to go ahead with the November 15 and 16 national convention.
Hashim, who stated that the National Convention would not hold as scheduled, canvassed for the setting up of a caretaker committee to manage the affairs of the PDP, so as to give room for the resolution of all issues.
The PDP chieftain, while noting that the party would not lose anything by putting a caretaker committee in place for some months, said he had been talking with leaders of the party across board over the issue.
He said: “There will not be any convention this weekend because there is a need to reconcile the parties. I have been speaking to some of the parties, that we don’t need factions. If you have that kind of convention, it will lead to factionalisation of the party.
“So, steps have been taken to ensure that we can have one unity convention. And probably you will have a caretaker committee. People are discussing this proposition and we have been on it for some days.
“The PDP has to be one. We must have one PDP. So, there will be those that are calling for a caretaker committee. This is my original idea. I am not with anybody (faction). It was my idea (caretaker) that I proposed to many people.”
Hashim, while reacting to question on the insistence of the PDP Governors to go ahead with the National Convention, added: “The governors are not hellbent on holding convention. I have spoken with some of the governors. So, maybe, some governors are hellbent.
“I have spoken with some of the governors. Some of the governors are reasonable enough to know that that will lead to factionalisation of the party. Maybe, there are some of them who are hellbent, but not all of them are helping. And anybody who is hellbent can go and hold this convention. I wish them the best of luck.”
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it was still studying the various court pronouncements on the November 15 and 16 PDP National Convention.
INEC Director in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, told Daily Sun that the commission would take a decision on whether or not to monitor the convention after its study.
She said: “We are still studying it. We are trying to understand the legal implications. A decision will be taken before then.”
