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Tag: PDP National convention

  • Outcome of convention critical to party’s future – Ogun PDP

    Outcome of convention critical to party’s future – Ogun PDP

    Elders and leaders of the Ogun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have called for support from members to ensure a hitch – free National Convention, saying the outcome of it is critical to the future of PDP in Nigeria.

    The call was made known to journalists in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday in a statement by former members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Johnson Olu -Fatoki, Joseph Adegbesan, Mr. Ladi Owodunni, Chief Adeoye Monsuru, and Chief Gbadero Gbadela.

    Others were Mr. Wasiu Saula, Alhaja Adeyinka Ilebiyi, Chief Sunday Alawode, and Alhaji Wasiu Isiaka respectively.

    The nine party faithful said the success of the Saturday convention would brightened the fortune of the party the more and appealed to members to remain calm and ensure peaceful and fruitful exercise.

    They lauded the qualities of the party’s national caretaker committee for ensuring that the party is reorganized and repositioned ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

    “Being committed and loyal party members, we believe that the success of our National Convention on December 9 (today) is paramount important to the future of our great party. We therefore appeal to all members to remain calm and join in ensuring a peaceful and fruitful convention,” the statement reads in part.

    They expressed the hope that the new national executive that would emerge from the convention will address all the petitions sent to the different committees in respect of the State Congress of November 4, ward and local governments Congresses of October 21st and 28th respectively.

  • PDP convention: Court refuses hear members’ suit

    PDP convention: Court refuses hear members’ suit

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Tuesday adjourned till January 16 for hearing in a suit by some People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members seeking to be allowed to participate in Saturday’s National Convention.

    The suit was filed by a member of the PDP National Working Committee, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, Ogun State Youth Leader Femi Alao, “national delegates” for Sagamu and Ijebu North Local Government Areas Idris Muniru and Chief Tuke Omotara, chairman of Ijebu East LGA Badejo Abiodun and chairman of Sagamu LGA Kola Akinyemi.

    They sued for themselves and on behalf of “PDP Ogun State Delegates to the National Convention”.

    The defendants include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Senator Ben Obi, Tunde Odanye, and 25 others.

    The plaintiffs are praying the court to hold that the PDP National Caretaker Committee cannot validly prevent them and other delegates from Ogun State from participating as delegates in the December 9 convention.

    According to them, there were subsisting and binding judgment and orders of the Federal High Court in Lagos and Abuja delivered and issued on June 24, 2016 and on August 10.

    The plaintiff said by virtue of the court verdicts, only they were entitled to attend and participate in the PDP convention.

    They urged the court to restrain the PDP Caretaker Committee in Ogun State from usurping the plaintiffs’ functions as “authentic officers of the Ogun PDP Executive Committee” led by Chief Adebayo Dayo.

    The plaintiffs sought an order of injunction restraining the party leadership or their agents from preventing them from attending the conference.

    They urged the court to nullify the appointment of Odanye and others as Ogun State PDP Caretaker Committee, saying their appointment was contrary to a judgment delivered by the court on June 24, 2016.

    They said the judgment recognises the Adebayo Dayo-led executive committee as the authentic one.

    The plaintiffs further urged the court to order the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agents to seal off and close and down the Ogun PDP secretariat operated by the caretaker committee.

    Tuesday, the plaintiffs’ lawyer Mr Ajibola Oluyede said the defendants had filed their counter affidavits to the plaintiffs’ originating summons.

    “There’s no impediment to the hearing of this application. It is a substantive issue relating to PDP convention scheduled to hold on Saturday.

    “So, it’ll he tidier for this application to be taken. The matter is time sensitive. We urge the court to hear this application,” he said.

    But, PDP’s lawyer Dr Yemi Oke urged the court not to hear the application.

    Faulting Oluyede’s prayer, he said: “This type of practice is not encouraging at all.”

    He said the issue boiled down to a power tussle between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, which he said the Supreme Court had resolved.

    Counsel for the Ogun Caretaker Committee, Mr Afolabi Fasanu (SAN) said: “I’m objecting to the hearing of this application today (yesterday). As at yesterday (Monday) they were still filing further and better affidavit.

    “We need to respond by affidavit. We have a Preliminary Objection which borders on the jurisdiction of this court. In the light of the above, we’ll be craving the court’s indulgence to adjourn the matter.”

    There was a heated verbal exchange between Oluyede and Fasanmi following the plaintiffs’ counsel’s bid to have the case heard in view of the soon-to-be-held convention.

    Justice Mohammed Idris advised them to “act according to law”, adding that the “conduct of counsel should be moderate”.

    The judge said the plaintiffs’ Originating Summons and the defendants Preliminary Objection would be heard together when the defendants would have filed all their responses.

    Justice Idris adjourned until January 16 for hearing.

  • We’ll conduct PDP national convention soon – Sheriff

    We’ll conduct PDP national convention soon – Sheriff

    Reinstated National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, said he would organize a national convention of the party within the shortest time.

    He said the convention was imperative as it would enable interested party members to aspire for positions.

    Sheriff, who addressed a news conference on Saturday in Abuja, said that Friday’s Appeal Court judgment in Port Harcourt affirming his chairmanship of the PDP was the beginning of good things to come to the party.

    He said that he was not interested to be chairman of the party, but was more interested in reuniting the members and made sure the party had credible leaders, who would make it win the 2019 elections.

    He said that following the judgment, he had received many telephone calls from PDP leaders and that he had also reached out to many persons over the unity of the party.

    “All the leaders of the party will be consulted between now and the next one week and we will come out with a firm roadmap that will lead to successful convention.

    “I can assure you that within the shortest possible time we will organize a successful national convention so that people can aspire for whatever positions they want.

    “Regarding the ruling of the Appeal Court on Friday, I want to assured that nobody is victor and no one is a loser.

    “ In fact, I have spoken to almost all the people that are affected by the court decision and assured them of my readiness to work with them to ensure that the party returns as one family,’’ Sheriff said.

    He added that he would also reach out to the party’s reconciliation committee to ensure that it came up with roadmap leading to the national convention.

    Sheriff said that though he had full confidence in the country’s judiciary, he believed that litigation was not the best way to settle a dispute.

    “I am determined to make my honest contributions to the success of this party. By doing that, I am ready to make any sacrifice for the success of this party.

    “We don’t want PDP to lose elections again. It is painful to lose elections.

    “We need people to patronize our party, democracy is about people, you either give them their right or they leave.

    “What we are trying to do is to give the party back to the people,” he said.

    The chairman announced that all states congresses held prior to the Port Harcourt national convention remained valid, adding that congresses would only be conducted in states where it was not held.

    He, however, warned those speaking for him on the social media to desist from that in order not to compound the problem of the party.

    He advised that people should not look at the leadership tussle as fight between him or Makarfi or any other leader of the party.

    On the reopening of the locked PDP national secretariat, Sheriff said that it would be done as soon as an order on it was given by the Police.

  • PDP crisis: Sheriff camp rejects BoT’s recommendations

    PDP crisis: Sheriff camp rejects BoT’s recommendations

    The Ali Modu Sheriff camp of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the peace recipe offered by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) to stem the festering leader ship crisis in the party.

    The BoT had on Monday directed the removal of the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike as chairman of the convention planning committee and the immediate disbandment of the panel.

    The trustees had similarly ordered that a repeat convention by held in Abuja, instead of Port Harcourt, favoured by the Wike and the Ahmed Makarfi led caretaker committee of the PDP.

    A statement on Tuesday by Dr. Cairo Ojougbo on behalf of the Sheriff camp, said the resolutions of the BoT fell short of the decisions reached with another reconciliation committee headed by the Bayelsa state Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson.

    The camp has insisted on having Sheriff chair the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting “where Makarfi will attend as a member of the BOT”.

    “At the meeting, a chairman of the convention committee will be agreed upon, a new convention committee setup, including all other sub-committees like Zoning, Finance, Accreditation etc”, the statement added.

    The faction demanded an enlarged meeting of stakeholders and members, where everybody will be given the right to air their views as prelude to genuine reconciliation.

    The faction also rejected the vote of confidence passed on the caretaker committee by the BoT, on the ground that the committee had failed to organise a successful convention on two occasions.

    The statement continued, “Consequently, we can now confidently inform the general public that well-meaning Nigerians have been urging Senator Makarfi to resign to save democracy.

    “We therefore call on his friends and associates and family to advise him to do the needful and resign now to save multiparty democracy in Nigeria and stop impunity that has been the bane of internal democracy.

    “That the BOT Chairman, Senator Walid Jubril, has brought crisis to the party. In any case his tenure has expired as he has spent more than 10 years as Secretary and Chairman of BOT which runs contrary to the party constitution.

    “A party where we have imminently qualified persons like Senator David Mark, Babangida Aliyu and others cannot be led by unstable individuals controlled by the love for money.

    “That the source of irritation in the party is the still-born illegal caretaker committee and the Board of Trustees should have advised that the illegality be addressed”.

    The Sheriff camp also demanded the immediate reconstitution of the BoT, stressing that “until we get it right and check impunity, the Nigerian opposition party won’t perform as required”.

    “As we move towards reconciliation, PDP should prevent any person or group from hijacking the party. Be rest assured that the PDP will emerge stronger as we note that impunity marred the party’s success in the 2015 general elections,” the statement added.

     

  • PDP convention to hold in Abuja, says BoT

    PDP convention to hold in Abuja, says BoT

    The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has directed the Ahmed Makarfi led Caretaker Committee to hold the party’s repeat national convention in Abuja instead of Port Harcourt.

    The directive was contained in a communique issued by the BoT after a marathon meeting in Abuja Monday.

    The communique, signed by BoT chairman, Sen. Walid Jubrin, also directed that the convention planning committee headed by the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike be disbanded.

    It ordered the Makarfi caretaker committee to set up of a new planning committee, to be approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

    Two previous attempts by the PDP to hold the convention in Port Harcourt in May and August this year ended in a fiasco, throwing the party into deeper crisis arising.

    The directives by the BoT were part of the conditions given by the faction led by the estranged National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff for peace and reconciliation with the Makarfi committee before the last botched convention.

    Thee BoT’s communique read in part, “The next convention should be held in Abuja.

    “To ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair convention, a new Convention Planning Committee should be constituted by the National Caretaker Committee and approved by NEC”.

    The communique further stated that the BoT should facilitate fund raising for the running of the party and directed to reconciliation committee headed by a former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana to continue with its reconciliation efforts.

    The meeting ended with the BoT passing a vote of confidence on the Makarfi led caretaker committee.

    It charged the committee to convene a meeting of the NEC, with the view to approving proposals designed to steer the party away from crisis.

  • Breaking: Court suspends PDP convention

    Breaking: Court suspends PDP convention

    A Federal High Court in Abuja suspends the PDP National Convention, due to hold in Port Harcourt on Aug. 17, pending the determination of a suit filed by factional Chairman Ali Modu Sherif.

  • Kashamu cautions PDP on convention

    Kashamu cautions PDP on convention

    The Senator representation Ogun East senatorial district, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has said that the proposed national convention slated for August 17 will not resolve the leadership crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    In a statement he circulated in Abuja Tuesday, Kashamu pleaded with elders in the party to find ways of uniting the Caretaker Committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi with the Ali Modu Sheriff faction.

    According to him, it would be better for the party to unite the two factions before going ahead with the proposed convention, warning that doing otherwise could worsen the crisis situation.

    The Makarfi committee, backed by the key organs of the party, including the PDP Governors, has resolved to go ahead with the convention in spite of the various conflicting court judgments and orders against both factions.

    Makarfi and Sheriff have continued to lay claim to the leadership of the party shortly after the botched May 21 Port Harcourt convention where Sheriff was replaced with Makarfi.

    Kashamu further warned that unless issues of the various conflicting court injunctions are fully addressed with the two factions in agreement, the outcome of the proposed convention may also become a subject of fresh litigation.

    The senator said, “Going to Port Harcourt for another national convention on August 17, without addressing the issues that have stuck out like a sore thumb might turn out to be an exercise in futility.

    “I appeal to all our leaders to wade into the crisis and resolve the issues. If we gloss over the issues and facts and go ahead to hold the proposed convention without resolving them, the perception of PDP as a lawless organisation will sink deeper and ultimately public opinion will be against us.

    “An air of palpable confusion pervades our party and the land, with one division of the court saying Makarfi’s appointment is right while another division of the same court says Sheriff is the authentic national chairman of our party.

    “We cannot continue like this. Already, the nomination (governorship) processes in Edo and Ondo States are being endangered by the current crisis.

    “It is incumbent on all well-meaning leaders and elders of the party to court Senators Sheriff and  Makarfi and look for a political solution to this crisis and resolve it, once and for all. Nothing is too much to give, if we truly love the party”.

    Kashamu noted that although there was no court injunction stopping the proposed August 17 convention, the reality of a pronouncement by a court in Abuja to the effect that the Makarfi committee cannot lawfully take actions on behalf of the PDP remained a source of grave worry.

    Besides the resources that might be wasted on the exercise, Kashamu said going ahead with the convention could also constitute contempt of some of the court injunctions on the part of the organisers.

    The lawmaker said these loopholes could easily be exploited by groups and individuals who are bent on frustration the efforts of the party to their own advantage.

    Said he, “They wait on the sidelines to analyse situations and then go to court when you least expected to procure orders and judgments that they use to exploit the system.

    Stressing the need for the party to guard against such pitfalls, Kashamu appealed to the party leaders to help put an end to the culture of impunity which has continued to plague the PDP.

    He stated that for peace to reign, party leaders and members should stop seeing themselves to be above the law

    “Thus, it is crucial for us to find a political solution to the leadership crisis, unite our people and resolve the issues so that the various court cases can be withdrawn. An assortment of court orders, rulings and judgments will only deepen the crisis and make it intractable,” he added.

    Kashamu enjoined party stakeholders to do the right thing so that when they are called to account for their actions, they will be found on the right side of history and the law.

  • PDP national convention holds March 19

    PDP national convention holds March 19

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced a March 19, 2016 date for the party’s national convention.

    New members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are expected to emerge at the convention.

    According to a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, zonal congresses of the party are billed to hold on March 16, while state congresses will be conducted on March 12.

    The statement added that local government congresses will hold on March 5, while ward congresses are slated for February 27.

    The party urged its organs and members to be advised accordingly.