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| Demystification of the Peoples Democratic Party? |
•Govs dump ex-Borno gov as confusion envelopes former ruling
party •Ex-Kaduna Gov. Makarfi appointed interim chairman •Ibrahim Mantu leads
factional interim committee
Governors Nyesom Wike of
Rivers Sate and Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State ended their vociferous support for
Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) on a rather sour note yesterday.
The
Nation report continues:
The
duo almost came to blows after it became clear that they were riding a lame
donkey.
While
Wike remained steadfast in his support for the retention of Sheriff as chairman
of the party at its convention in Port Harcourt, Fayose sensationally backed
out.
And
thus ended the controversial three month tenure of the former Borno State
governor in the saddle.
But
Sheriff insisted that he remained chairman.
The
convention itself was aborted and a former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed
Makarfi was picked to replace Sheriff in a desperate move to save the
party from being submerged by the leadership crisis.
Makarfi
heads a seven-man committee to steer the affairs of the party.
To
assist Makarfi as national secretary is a former aide to ex-President Goodluck
Jonathan, Senator Ben Obi.
Other
members of the committee are: Sen. Odion Ugbesie, Sen. Abdul Ningi, Mr. Kabir
Usman, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye and Alhaja Aisha Aliyu.
The
Makarfi-led caretaker committee will pilot the affairs of the party for three
months during which it is expected to elect the national working committee, it
was gathered.
The
new chairman and secretary emerged shortly after Sheriff announced the
suspension of the convention, citing three court orders.
The
motion to dissolve the party’s NEC and NWC was moved by Mr. Austin Opara, a
former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives and seconded by Mr. Emeka
Ihedioha, also a former Deputy Speaker of the house.
Gov.
Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Chairman of the party‘s National Convention Committee
put a the question and the motion was affirmed by the delegates.
The
convention also approved another motion to set aside decisions taken by the NWC
and zoning of its presidential candidate for 2019 election to the north.
The
motion was moved by Dr. Babangida Aliyu, a former governor of Niger and
seconded by Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta.
“We
want to be seen as a law-abiding party,” Sheriff told reporters, reading from a
prepared text.
“We
will ask the delegates to go home,” he said.
The
other faction of the party at its own convention in Abuja picked Ibrahim Mantu
as national chairman and Professor Tunde Adeniran as national Secretary.
The
support of Sheriff’s main backers – Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and
Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) counted for nothing in the face of report from Abuja
that the Professor Jerry Gana-led Concerned PDP Stakeholders were forging ahead
with their parallel convention.
Only
on Friday night, Wike had mocked Gana and co as inconsequential in PDP.
He
derided the court injunctions obtained by their supporters to stop the Port
Harcourt convention as fraudulent.
Fayose
himself had dismissed the Concerned PDP Stakeholders as spent forces who should
yield the ground to younger elements to run the affairs of the party.
Trouble
however began after the PDP governors and party leaders were briefed on two
court orders served on the Sheriff-led National Working Committee.
The
first court order was an interlocutory injunction from a court in Lagos
restraining the party from conducting election into the offices of the National
Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor until 2018.
The
second was the ruling of an FCT High Court asking the party not to declare 18
positions vacant until 2017 leaving only the office of the National Financial
Secretary to be voted for at the convention.
But
party leaders insisted that Sheriff’s Executive’s tenure ended yesterday and
tinkered with the option of an Interim Caretaker Committee.
Instead,
Sheriff wanted his NWC to remain with a proclamation of the extension by the
National Convention.
A
well placed party source said that an enlarged meeting of PDP governors and
leaders followed yesterday to consider three issues:
o
To
cancel or postpone the convention in the light of the court order;
o
To
extend the tenure of Sheriff’s administration; and
o
To
put in place an Interim Caretaker Committee
“At
the session, Sheriff and Wike maintained that the idea of a caretaker committee
was alien to the PDP Constitution and it would amount to illegality,” the
source said.
“They
said having a caretaker committee would lead the party into a deeper crisis and
defiance of the two court orders.
“They
said since PDP is known for its adherence to the rule of law, the National
Convention should be postponed.”
But
Fayose and other governors rejected the proposal from Wike and Sheriff’s NWC.
Another
source said: “At a point, tension peaked at the meeting leading to a shouting
match between Wike and Fayose.
“It
degenerated to a level that Wike and Fayose were near fisticuffs. But at the
end of the day, most of the governors and PDP leaders agreed on going ahead
with the convention and the setting up of a caretaker committee headed by Ahmed
Makarfi.”
Stunned
by the decision, Sheriff opted to call a press briefing where he announced the
cancellation of the National Convention.
Sheriff
later left Port Harcourt in the company of former Governor of Jigawa State,
Sule Lamido.
A
member of the NWC said: “The appointment of any interim or caretaker committee
is an exercise in futility because it is alien to our constitution. It is also
in defiance of court orders and the national chairman of the party did not
convene the convention which set up the interim administration.
“The
consensus was that the national convention should be postponed. So, the
so-called convention was unauthorized.”
At
a hurriedly convened press conference, Sheriff said: “After seeing the
challenges confronting our party, taking into account the decision of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), not to supervise the election
to the offices of chairman, secretary and others, based on the order of the
court.
“On
account of the fact that our party is responsible, law abiding with high
respect for judiciary and courts, we do here by state and put off the national
convention of our party from taking place. “We have suspended it until when all
the court cases are g resolved.
“The
issues are so many. We have about three different court cases.
“From
Abuja, where it says that the tenure of the 17 members of the National Working
Committee has not expired, it will be expiring on the 17 of June, 2017 and
another one in Lagos which says that the tenure of the chairman, secretary and
auditor will expire in 2018.
“INEC
also wrote that they will not supervise the election in Port Harcourt.
“Taking
into consideration of all these, if we go out and conduct elections in Port
Harcourt, the NEC of the party will be charged with contempt of court. We have
asked for a stay of proceedings in Lagos and the court denied that also.
“Therefore,
the best and safest way is to put off the convention. Therefore, we have
suspended the convention until all the court cases are resolved. We will then
announce another date for the convention.”
There
had been anxiety among delegates when the convention did kick off at 2pm as
expected.
Although
the host chairman, Felix Obuah, told reporters that the exercise would still
come up, delegates became weary when the Governors, who were in Port
– Harcourt, failed to show up at the venue.
Sources
said amid the tension communication was going on between the factions in Port
Harcourt and Abuja.
The
PDP National Assembly caucus was said to have suggested to the governors the
need to avert a possible balkanization of the party by postponing the exercise.
Said
one source, “Reality dawned on the Governors that they could not insist on the
convention, especially the candidature of Sheriff, without some dire
consequences. The Gana group was contacted and it insisted that it had no
problem with the Governors, but with the candidature of Sheriff.
“Many
party chieftains also deliberately shunned Port – Harcourt and that was also
worrisome to the Governors. It was realized that the people threatening a
parallel convention could not be ignored because they also cut across the 36
states.”
However,
a way out was found out of the logjam when both factions agreed on the
setting up of a caretaker committed to steer the affairs of the party till July
when a new convention will be held.
It
was not immediately certain what role Sheriff will play in the new arrangement.
Both
factions agreed to forge unity and reconciliation in the interest of the party.
Some
of those at the Port Harcourt convention were the Chairman of the PDP Board of
Trustees, Sen. Walid Jibril, Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike
Ekweremadu, ex-President of the Senate, Chief David Mark, ex-Deputy Speaker of
the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, 12 Governors including Henry
Seriake Dickson, Ben Ayade, Darius Ishaku, Ifeanyi Okowa, Ayo Fayose, Udom
Emmanuel, David Umahi, and Nyesom Wike among others.
Meanwhile,
the Gana faction held its convention in Abuja without electing officials.
The
group converged on an events centre in the capital city with delegates from the
36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The
faction did not elect officers, ostensibly in deference to court orders
restraining the PDP from holding the convention.
Instead,
the group ratified its 56-member Steering Committee with a former Deputy Senate
President, Ibrahim Mantu and a former Education Minister, Prof. Tunde Adeniran
as co-chairmen. Gana retained the position of National Coordinator.
Mantu
announced the decision of the faction not to elect national officials, saying
members were still open to reconciliation with the Sheriff faction in the
overall interest of the PDP.
Restating
the group’s opposition to Sheriff as national chairman, Mantu lamented the
culture of impunity, disdain for democratic norms and utter disregard for the
party’s constitution. The same trend, he said, led to the party’s loss of the
2015 general election.
His
words: “We view the purported extension of the tenure of the current National
Working Committee of the party as null and void as the National Executive
Committee cannot grant such extension under the party constitution.
“Therefore,
all actions of the Ali Modu Sheriff led executive, including the purported
congresses and convention in Port Harcourt are null and void and an exercise in
futility.
“The
action of the National Executive Committee of the party in selecting Ali Modu
Sheriff as chairman was in gross violation of the established procedure for the
selection.
“The
selection of the chairman for the unexpired term of the Northeast zone started
with nominations from states in the zone, Sheriff was not nominated by any
state caucus and hence not qualified to be selected.”
He
added that any decision to go ahead with the Port Harcourt convention would
amount to disobedience to valid court orders stopping the exercise.
It
was gathered that botched attempts were made yesterday by the Chairman of
the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Segun Mimiko to prevail on the stakeholders
to shelve their separate session in Abuja.
The
stakeholders however went ahead with the parallel convention.
A
top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Mimiko spoke at length with Gana
and others on Saturday morning that we should not conduct our own election in
Abuja.
“The
Ondo State governor said the PDP governors were ready to concede to our demands
which border on the stepping aside by ex- Governor Modu Ali Sheriff.
“Even
on Friday, they placed a chartered aircraft on standby at Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport to convey members of the stakeholders to Port Harcourt
but we stood our ground based on principle that Sheriff cannot reform PDP.
“But
we did not want to take anything for granted at all because when we met with
the representatives of the governors about six days ago, they were adamant that
Sheriff must continue.
“Those
who had audience with us were Governors David Umahi (Ebonyi), Ayo Fayose
(Ekiti) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers).”
Some party stalwarts at the alternative convention in Abuja were a former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, ex-Governor Achike Udenwa, ex-Acting Governor Garba Umar, 15 ex-Ministers including Hajiya Inna Ciroma, Abubakar Suleiman Olanrewaju Suleiman Abubakar, Shetiima Mustapha, Arc. Bunu Sheriff, Prof. Jerry Gana, Tanimu Kabir Turaki, John Odey, Bala Mohammed, Ishola Sarafa, Adamu Maina Waziri, and Amb. Tunde Adeniran.
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