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Tag: Olisa Metuh

  • Crisis rages as PDP rejects Baraje, Oyinlola, others

    Crisis rages as PDP rejects Baraje, Oyinlola, others

    Factional leaders to face Dikko Panel

    Four key members of the Abubakar Baraje faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were suspended yesterday – an action that is likely to truncate the party’s peace move.

    Slammed with indefinite suspension are the chairman of the New PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and Senator Ibrahim Kazaure.

    Baraje is the national chairman of the New PDP – the breakaway faction. Oyinlola is the National Secretary. Jaja is the Deputy National chairman and Kazaure is vice chairman, Northwest.

    The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who announced the suspension at a press briefing, said the party chieftains were guilty of anti-party activities.

    The suspension is coming on the heels of a ruling by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, ordering the leadership of the party to reinstate Oyinlola as the National Secretary.

    Oyinlola was removed from office in January, ostensibly on the orders of a high court that voided his election as the National Secretary of the mainstream PDP.

    But the Court of Appeal on Wednesday reinstated Oyinlola and directed that he be recognised as the party’s National Secretary. Metuh said the party had not been served a copy of the ruling.

    The ruling party said the four party chieftains breached provisions of Section 58 of the PDP constitution by declaring a parallel PDP and carrying out actions that are inimical to the party’s interest.

    Metuh said that the suspended party chiefs, who are also members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), would face the Umaru Dikko-led Disciplinary Committee.

    The party spokesman added that the actions and conduct of the party chieftains in the past few weeks were capable of causing disaffection among party members.

    By setting up the New PDP, Metuh said, the party chiefs committed an offence of “identity theft”, adding that the leadership of the PDP had condoned their excesses long enough.

    He said: “We have withheld taking any action for a long time and we have been appealing to them to put a stop to the attempt at identity theft. Our members nationwide are not happy and they think we have been treating them with kid gloves.”

    But, in a swift reaction, Oyinlola faulted the suspension, saying it was meant to circumvent the judgment of the Court of Appeal that reinstated him as National Secretary.

    Oyinlola said: “‘This is part of the impunity we are protesting against.None of us has been queried or requested to give explanations for any alleged offence.

    “And if they are reacting to the issue of the new PDP, why did they decide to leave out the serving governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives who have been very vocal?

    “It’s all an attempt to circumvent the ruling of the Court of Appeal. Certainly, the last has not been heard about this matter and I am sure that truth will prevail over falsehood.”

    The New PDP also reacted to the suspension yesterday. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Eze, the faction said the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP lacked proper understanding of the party’s constitution.

    Eze said: “The problem we are having with Tukur and his NWC is that they lack not only democratic character but also common understanding of the PDP Constitution.

    “To us, this is an abuse of the judiciary, Nigeria Consitution on fair hearing and, most importantly, the PDP Constitution of 2009 as amended in Article 21 Section 9.”

    The section reads: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this Consitution relating to discpline, no Executive Committee at any level, except NEC, shall entertain any question of discpline as may relate or concern a member of the NEC.

    These include public office holders, like ministers, Ambassadors, Special Advisers or members of the federal legislature.

    Article 21: 10 of the constitution also states that no disciplinary committee at any level, except the National Disciplinary Committee, shall impose any punishment on such category of members.

  • PDP ‘undecided’ on Taraba, Anambra crises

    PDP ‘undecided’ on Taraba, Anambra crises

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be undecided on how to address the festering political crises in Taraba and Anambra States.

    The PDP controlled Taraba is currently in crisis as a result of sharp divisions between the camps of ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai and Acting Governor, Garba Umar.

    Ailing Suntai was brought into the country in an apparent near vegetable state on August 25, after a 10-month medical sojourn abroad. On arrival, he had to be assisted off the chartered aircraft that brought him to Abuja.

    While his loyalists are insisting that he had resumed duty, the Taraba Assembly had mandated Umar to continue governing the state in acting capacity, they declared him unfit to continue as the state chief security officer.

    The Nigerian Constitution did not envisage the existence of Governor and Acting Governor administering a state at the same time.

    However, the newly inaugurated National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, at its meeting on Monday, did not discuss the Taraba problem, despite strident calls by stakeholders in the state for the national leadership of the party to make its position known on the crisis.

    Briefing journalists after a meeting, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the issue of Taraba did not come up at the meeting. The meeting was chaired by the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    “We did not discuss the issue of Taraba at the meeting because the matter was not listed on the agenda. I will raise the matter in our next meeting and feed you back on whatever position the party takes,” Metuh said.

    The spokesman also said the meeting did not discuss the problem in Anambra State, where two parallel candidates have emerged as PDP flag bearers for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

     

     

  • PDP rejects Edo council election results, promises legal action

    PDP rejects Edo council election results, promises legal action

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the results of the April 20 Edo council elections and described the exercise as a mockery of democracy.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr  Olisa Metuh,who made this known while briefing newsmen on Sunday in Abuja also said the party would challenge the results in court.

    The PDP spokesman said the elections were manipulated against the party, adding that what happened at the Edo council elections was “a mockery and a threat to the country`s democracy.

    `The survival of our democracy is under very serious threat.

    “Unpatriotic and undemocratic elements have laid siege on our nation’s democracy and Nigerians are now living in serious fear and uncertainty.

    “Since the annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential elections, we have never in the political history of Nigeria witnessed any such assault on the people and democracy like what is going on in Edo.’’

    Metuh said it was a regret that the people of Edo were being subjected to the “worst form of tyranny’’ while their will to choose their leader was being subverted.

    The PDP spokesman decried the intimidation of PDP candidates and their supporters during the election.

    He called on the military authorities to investigate the alleged role of the Brigade Commander in Benin in the use of the military against PDP members during the polls.

    Metuh further alleged that ballot boxes were carted away, with election results manipulated in favour of the ACN.

    “Also, election results were annulled in places where PDP candidates won clearly,’’ he said.

    Metuh also contended that there were no election materials in many local councils where PDP had greater support and that PDP members were not allowed to vote in Etsako Central.

    “The cancellation of the Esan North-East election results by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), the second time after it was discovered that a PDP candidate won the election, was to undermine prominent PDP members from the area,’’ he said.

    The party spokesman said PDP would challenge the election results in the court.

    “We went to court in Lagos, we will go to court in Edo. That is the beauty of democracy,’’ he said.

    Metuh said it was an irony that Gov. Adams Oshiomhole had continued to display disdain for democracy since he assumed office.

    “It is funny that a direct beneficiary of President Goodluck Jonathan’s policy of transparent election is the one that is now going against it,’’ he said.

    The PDP official called on Nigerians, civil society groups and other stakeholders to join in the “just fight” to salvage the Edo people.

    “We as a party cannot witness the enthronement of free and fair federal elections by President Goodluck Jonathan only to become victims in elections in states controlled by the opposition,’’ Metuh said.(NAN)