The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PDP convention

  • Security intercepts plot to disrupt PDP convention

    Security intercepts plot to disrupt PDP convention

    Barely four days to the Special National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), security agents have intercepted a plot by some  aggrieved members to disrupt the convention.

    Besides, the agents have uncovered some “inciting” posters and pamphlets.

    Two suspects were being quizzed yesterday on the alleged plot.

    The suspects were said to belong to a new  pressure group in the party, PDP Peace and Justice Movement.

    According to a source,  the agencies are  probing alleged plans to mobilise 10,000 protesters to the Eagle Square, Abuja to draw attention to some issues causing crises in the party.

    It was learnt that  the aggrieved members were planning to demand power shift to the North in 2015.

    Some of the inscriptions on the  posters read: “Gentlemen always stick to agreement”; “Agreement is agreement”; “Power should go  to the North in 2015”; “Injustice anywhere is a threat everywhere”; and “Let’s support peace and justice”.

    The source claimed that one of the inciting  pamphlets is  signed by Mallam Abdullahi Maibirgi, who is the  National Co-ordinator for  the group.

    The pamphlet said:  ”PDP Peace and Justice Movement demands peace in our highly cherished party. For peace to exist, there must be justice …. (and) justice in this context means granting the North the party’s presidential ticket for the 2015 presidential election.

    ”PDP Peace and Justice Movement hereby throws its full weight behind the Save Democracy campaign being mounted by some PDP governors and urge all party faithful to support this patriotic effort. The campaign is aimed at sanitzsing PDP of its cankerworm and stabilising our growing democracy in the country. With these initiatives, these governors have proved themselves as great democrats, patriots, visionary leaders, loyal and faithful party members.”

    Security agencies  are interacting with some members of the group.

  • Court vacates order stopping PDP convention

    Court vacates order stopping PDP convention

    An Abuja High Court yesterday vacated its earlier order stopping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mini-convention to elect new members  into its National Working Committee (NWC).

    Yesterday’s ruling by Justice Suleiman Belgore has now cleared the way for the party to proceed with arrangement for the convention.

    Justice Belgore elected to  vacate the order   after  the plaintiffs – Abba Yale, Alh. Yahaya Sule and Bashir Maigudu –all of them PDP members, applied to withdraw the suit in which they  challenged  the composition of the party’s NWC.

    The court had, on July 25, restrained the party from conducting any form of convention “whether special or ordinary,” for the purpose of electing any officer into the office of the PDP pending the determination of the suit by the aggrieved members of the party.

    Moving the application for withdrawal yesterday, plaintiffs’ lawyer,Mr. Friday Nwosu, told the court that his clients  elected to explore the party’s internal mechanism in addressing their grievances.

    He said the plaintiffs, being loyal party men, who wish to remain in the party,  resolved to withdraw their case and table their grievances before the party’s National Reconciliation Committee headed by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.

    Counsel to the defendants (PDP and its National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur), Tobechukwu Nweke and Raphael Oluyede did not object to the plaintiffs’ decision to withdraw their case.

    They, however, urged the court to dismiss the case rather than strike it out.

    Ruling, Justice Belgore said he was satisfied with the application for withdrawal and all the necessary accompanying documents filed by the  plaintiffs.

    He held that the application, having been brought under Order 27 Rule 3 of the court’s Civil Procedure Rules 2004 the court was left with no option than to allow the withdrawal.

    Justice Belgore elected to strike out the case as against dismissal on the ground that no major steps had been taken in respect of the substantive suit.

    “The suit is struck out. The earlier order restraining the defendants from holding any convention is vacated. That order is now discharged, as it crumbles with the striking out of the suit,” the judge held.

    He, however, frowned on Nwosu’s  decision  to petition the court’s Chief Judge, complaining of experiencing difficulty in withdrawing the case.

    The judge said it was wrong of  Nwosu to have written such petition even before his withdrawal application was brought before the court.

  • Court stops PDP convention

    Court stops PDP convention

    An Abuja High Court has restrained the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from holding its planned special convention.

    Justice Suleiman Belgore, in a ruling on Thursday asked the PDP to “allow sanity to reign” and refrain from proceeding with the conduct or convocation of any form of convention “whether special or ordinary,” for the purpose of electing any officer pending the determination of a suit filed by some aggrieved members of the party.

    The ruling was on an interlocutory application by plaintiffs in the substantive suit, who complained against the decision of the party to appoint some people to act in the place of members of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), who resigned midway into the case that challenged the process of their election.

    Justice Belgore refused the applicants’ prayer for interlocutory injunction nullifying the appointment of acting members of PDP’s NWC and restraining the party’s National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur from performing any of the NWC’s functions pending the determination of the case.

    The judge in refusing both prayers, held that they were not part of the issues placed before the court for determination in the originating summons.

    Justice Belgore frowned at the decision of the PDP to take certain steps capable of foisting a state of helplessness on the court. He held that, having submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the court, the party must await the decision of the court on the case.

    The judge held that “it is recklessness of some high degree” for the PDP to have taken steps that could affect the case before the court.