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Tag: PDP

  • Ex-Kebbi PDP chair joins governorship race

    Former Kebbi State People Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Alhaji Mansur  Shehu has said that political foes are peddling falsehood about his him to edge him out of the governorship race. He refuted the allegation that he did not resign properly from the Nigeria Custom Services.

    He told reporters in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State Capital , that the allegation was meant to dent his image and reduce his chance at the poll.

    Shehu said that he is a pensioneer because he retired with dignity.

    He said: “I retired from the Custom Services since October. I have my documents here with me.”

    Shehu that he voluntary retried from the service, adding that his resignation followed the due process when he retired 15 years ago.

    He reiterated his determination to run the state and offer a credible leadership.

    Shehu added: “Now, if my people later decide not to support me, I have no choice but to withdraw for anybody who they so wish.”

    He therefore, appealed to the contenders to prepare for primaries, adding that there will be no imposition.

    Shehu promised to work for the economic transformation of the state, promote and an open door policy and create job opportunities for people.

     

  • ‘Why I won’t go back to PDP’

    ‘Why I won’t go back to PDP’

    Hon. Tayo Alasoadura is the former Commissioner for Finance in Ondo State. He defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), shortly before the 2012 governorship election. The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ondo Central District spoke with  DAMISI OJO on the chances of the party in next year’s parliamentary elections. 

    What is your assessment of the political situation in Ondo State?

    The Bible is very clear about it when it said any house built on sand will collapse. Governor Olusegun Mimiko has been a political maverick in the past, a man who is totally unreliable, a man who  comes to greet you in the house and, when he is leaving , he says good night. One would have to accompany him to the front of the house to see whether it is morning or afternoon. When you are so maradonic, one day, you will dribble yourself and there is a proverb that says those who are too wise sometimes overreach themselves. I think the chicken has come home to roost for him, the defunct Labour Party in Ondo State and the Peoples Democratic Party.

    You were in the PDP and later, you defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC). What informed your change?

    There are two sides to it. When my good friend, Dr Olusegun Agagu, was alive, he led us very well. He was a good man and we were so friendly that I thought whenever I needed his assistance too, like I gave him all the support when I was serving with him, he would give me support. I wanted to run for the position of a governor in this state and I told him and I could not see the support coming and this made me not to be too happy. If it were somebody else, I would not mind. But, somebody you had served diligently, somebody you committed everything to, somebody you made his administration one of the best in this country and the best this state ever produced. There was no scandal. Salaries and gratuities were paid on time. No contractor and bank was owed one kobo. Everything was done according to the law. When he left government, no EFCC harassed him. Even me the Commissioner for Finance, no EFCC called me once, despite the fact that a very hostile government took over from our administration. I thought those services given should have been enough for him to give me support. The second part is that I saw the PDP drifting. When we started the PDP, because I was one of the founding fathers of the PDP, we had this aim and objective to make Nigeria better. But, after sometime, I discovered that majority of the people in the PDP wanted to grab money and steal. I as a Chartered Accountant trained in the act of transparency and accountability, I could no more accept bad beaviours that would not be in the interest of our people. I came to politics to serve. I came from a very poor family, worked very hard to get the little I got and after that to now be a party to the wanton plundering of the Nigeria resources, I don’t think I will like that.We wanted to build a national party to be able to retrieve our natural resources that were being used by other states. Our fathers who were in government had tried, but because we were not in the party at the centre, it made it extremely difficult for us to get our oil wells retrieved and, to the glory of God, by the time Dr Agagu was leading the crusade and I was carrying the file, we were able to get 103 oil wells attributed to Ondo State, which is what we are now sitting on today. Having completed my mission, I felt it was time for me to go back home to the progressive where I naturally belong.

    You talk of progressive politics, what defines your progressivism? Is it by party affiliation or otherwise?

    Progressivism is very simple; a party that looks after the interest of the greater majority of the people; give them good education, ensure that there is gainful employment, to ensure that schools are in good shape, ensure that all the people that are working are paid on time.

    Governor Olusegun Mimiko said recently that the APC is not a progressive political party…

    I leave that for people to judge, if PDP is taking care of the interest of the people. I would not be the one to go into altercation with Governor Mimiko. Before, he said it was the LP that he belongs that is a progressive. Now, it is the PDP.

    Do you mean the six years you were in government as a PDP chieftain, you are not taking care of the interest of the people?

    No. You know you can start something or have a vision about

    something and, along the way, people can derail. The PDP has derailed. What is attractive in the PDP today? Is it the abduction of over 200 of the Chibok girls that government has not found solution to? Is it the stealing of our money by ministers? There is massive corruption in this country that our President does not know the difference between stealing and corruption. Is it that a woman used N235million to buy two cars that will attract me? Is it that a woman used N10billion to hire an aircraft for her personal use and is still in the government that will attract me? Is a government that cannot arm our solders to confront the insurgency in our country Pand all the money that should be used to buy equipment for our soldiers are pocketed by few people    has PDP has derailed, they are not doing what we set out the party to be and I cannot be part of them any more.

  • PDP ward congresses

    It is increasingly getting clearer that democracy on these shores is in very dire straits. As one political event comes and goes, indications are that our politicians have neither learnt any lessons nor are they prepared to learn any in their dispositions and attitudes to the rules of the game. This may seem a damning assertion but it has become a sad reality of the politics of this country.

    Each time such infractions occur, our political actors are quick to rationalize them on the dubious grounds that we are still in the learning process. We may continue this learning process ad infinitum if conscious efforts are not made by both the political parties and politicians to guarantee the participation of the ordinary people in the electoral process.

    Before now, the greatest challenge has been how to guarantee free and fair elections by eliminating those unwholesome practices that mar our electoral process. We had in the past been treated with rigging, falsification and outright writing of election results in hotel rooms and sundry hidden places. The brazen subversion of the electoral process had been such that the electorate had started loosing confidence in it. It took copious assurances from the government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for some modicum of confidence to be restored as elections began to reflect the collective will of the people as expressed in the ballot box.

    But even as this little progress can be admitted, increasing signals point to the direction that politicians are relapsing to their decadent political practices through their disregard to extant rules and regulations. And if care is not taken, the little gains so far recorded by way of the electorate having their way in electoral matters, may be completely wiped off.

    Or, how else do we explain the embarrassment that was the outcome of the ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP conducted last weekend? Reports emanating from a congress that was meant to elect three ad-hoc delegates were a huge embarrassment to all lovers of democracy. From Rivers to Cross River, Imo to Benue states, the outcome was a litany of woes as voting materials were hijacked by politicians and results written without any input from party members who had thronged their various wards to elect their delegates. Ever since, the party has been inundated with complaints as key leaders and stakeholders have been very vocal in passing a damning verdict on the outcome of that congress.

    A member of the Board of Trustees BOT of the party from Akwa Ibom State, Chief Donald Etiebet came out strongly to lampoon the electoral panel sent to the state and the outcome of that congress. Hear him: “I want to tell you that I am not satisfied with the conduct of the ward congress in the state on Saturday. It was a farce and there was no congress conducted in the state”.

    He accused the chairman of the PDP electoral committee of bias.

    The views expressed by Etiebet mirror very vividly the outcome of that congress. It is not surprising that since then, the PDP national secretariat has been inundated with complaints from aggrieved members from across the country. Some of the complainants want the congresses cancelled and a repeat conducted. But the PDP national chairman, Adamu Mu’azu was reported to have said that the complaints were normal in such political activities. According to him, such complaints arise as politicians positioned themselves to take advantage and undo others. He would want to attribute these to rivalry among politicians.

    Mu’azu’s views appear an oversimplification of the matter. He could also be accused of trivializing the very serious infractions that marred those congresses. It is not a matter of politicians positioning themselves to take advantage. It is not just a matter of rivalry among politicians. They go far beyond these and are at the very heart of the real essence of democracy.

    Complainants are saying that there were no congresses in any of those states or where there were, they did not conform to the rules of free and fair conduct. They are angry that no voting took place at all in many of the wards and that election results were written in hidden places and submitted as the verdict of party members. They are piqued that ordinary party members were denied participation at that rung of party organization where politicians should have demonstrated their popularity by allowing the rules of the game to run their full course.

    Politicians who are at home with their people have no business subverting such rudimentary engagements as the ward congresses of their parties. They ought to have submitted themselves to the rules of that game. That is the real issue here.

    Moreover, if ward congresses and party primaries which are internal affairs of political parties are that rancorous, can those thrown up from that fraudulent process be trusted to play by the rules of free and fair elections? That is the poser that has been elevated to the front burner by the outcome of that congress. Ironically also, it is the same PDP government that is being looked upon to superintend over the conduct of free and fair elections. The minimum expectation given the foregoing was for that party to position itself as a shinning example in internal democracy. Sadly, this basic expectation was only observed in its breach during that ward congress. It is sad that we are at this point once again. Given events of our recent past culminating in the implosion in that party, the minimum expectation was that the party should have learnt from some of its mistakes by now. One of the issues which its members who defected to the All Progressives Congress APC had against the party hinged on its scant regard for internal democracy. And with the coming on board of the APC, it had been the hope of all lovers of democracy to see the PDP a reformed party.

    That has failed to happen as the ward congresses have vividly shown. Even before the formation of the APC, most of those who left the party cited the absence of internal democracy as their main grouse. Many of them have even had to go back to the party when their initial grouse had not been addressed. At the heart of all this, is the obnoxious notion that the party is the surest route to political ascendancy.

    The PDP must purge itself of this ruinous notion that it will continue to disregard the sensibilities of its members at the grassroots without dire repercussions. It is no longer business as usual now there is a strong opposition party. But it is a matter of choice for that party.

    The main opposition is there to take advantage of this lapse. But the activities of one of its governors Rochas Okorocha may turn out a negation of this optimism. Okorocha is reputed to be running for the presidency under the APC. Till now, no person has indicated interest to run for his current seat in his party and you dare not. The impression is that he reserves that position for himself should presidential ticket elude him. If and when this happens, we would be left with the same issue.

  • 2015: Ex-Presidents, others to meet Obasanjo, Babangida over Jonathan

    2015: Ex-Presidents, others to meet Obasanjo, Babangida over Jonathan

    The political intrigues ahead of 2015 general elections continue as the Presidency, in what could be described as a last minute ditch effort to woo aggrieved chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has resolved to send a delegation of former Heads of State and Presidents, amongst others, to meet with ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, over the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    A very reliable source told The Nation that the move, which also enjoys the backing of the national leadership of the ruling party, was a fall-out of a recent meeting of some elder statesmen with the President few hours after the last Council of State meeting in Abuja.

    “The move, an attempt to garner vital support for Jonathan, involves begging and seeking the forgiveness of former Presidents Obasanjo and Babangida for President Jonathan.

    The idea was mooted after some eminent members of the Council of State met and discussed with the President over recent actions and inactions of some Council members ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Following observations that some former leaders, including Obasanjo and Babangida have, in recent times kept their distance from the presidency, it was resolved that a delegation be sent to them to curry their support for the current administration,” our source said.

    The Nation however, learnt that President Jonathan has approved the setting up of a committee of five, comprising  three former leaders; Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Chief Ernest Shonekan; the Senate President, David Mark and the national chairman of the ruling party, Adamu Muazu, to reach out to the two statesmen on his behalf.

    While Obasanjo was at the last Council of State meeting, Babangida, who returned to the country a few days before the meeting, after months of recuperating abroad, was absent.

    “Though Obasanjo attended the last meeting, it was obvious to all those present that his presence was out of mere routine. He is known to be very critical of the Jonathan administration. For Babangida, his silence and inaction over matters relating to the current administration is even more worrisome to the presidency.”

    While the committee is expected to talk Obasanjo into reducing his criticism of Jonathan’s government in the months leading to the next presidential election, it is being hoped that it will succeed in getting Babangida to throw his weight behind the president’s re-election bid.

    “It is not good for Jonathan’s 2015 ambition that someone of Obasanjo’s calibre is opposed to him. Also, Babangida is not known to have endorsed or support Jonathan’s re-election bid up till now. These are the task being given to the committee in the interest of the country,” our source added.

    The Nation also learnt that the President was told that some credible reports at the disposal of Council members does not favour his re-election bid largely because of the frosty relationship between him and some prominent party chieftains across the country.

    Also, findings by our correspondent revealed that the fear of the likes of Obasanjo, Babangida and Danjuma joining forces with the Bola Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to confront the ruling PDP in the 2015 presidential election, is top amongst the reasons why the presidency agreed that the delegation should be sent out to make amends.

  • PDP Govs reject Jonathan’s deal with Senators

    PDP Govs reject Jonathan’s deal with Senators

    •As party moves presidential, governorship and NASS primaries to December

    Barely 48 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a pact on automatic return tickets for 40 Senators, some governors and leaders have protested to the party.

    They vowed to resist the imposition by claiming that some Senators are unproductive and electoral liabilities.

    They also alleged that the concession will alter zoning formula in some states.

    Some governors, however, initiated rapprochement with their Senators immediately after the deal was sealed.

    It was learnt that Governor Sullivan Chime had met with the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, for reconciliation having lost out in his attempts to nullify the ward congresses which favoured Ekweremadu’s group.

    But the party may not reverse its decision on the Senators to allow “peace to reign” in the party.

    According to findings by our correspondent, some governors and party leaders were shocked by the ‘unwritten agreement” by the Presidency, the party and the Senators.

    It was learnt that there had been protests from some states like

    Delta, Anambra, Benue, Oyo, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Abia, Cross River, Ondo, among others.

    A reliable party source said: “Some governors were just unhappy by the decision of the party to retain 40 Senators. They have protested and queried why the party did not ask for their input.

    “They also complained that some of the Senators given second term tickets were benchwarmers. For instance, in one of the Southern states, the party leaders claimed that a Senator from their state cannot even make a complete sentence not to talk of quality contributions.

    “Yet in the name of peace, the same Senator will get a second term in the chamber. In another state, a Senator is standing trial for alleged corrupt enrichment while in office but he will now enjoy second tenure in the Upper Chamber.”

    Another PDP source said some of the governors have vowed to encourage anti-party activities to prove a point that the presidency and the party were wrong.

    The source added: “A governor was also said to have told a minister that he would rather encourage protest votes against the re-election of a Senator in his state than allowing the PDP to win the seat.

    “From what the President and the PDP had done, there will be protest votes in Adamawa State against the returning Senators. I can tell you that APC will gain from this decision.

    “The case in Delta State is challenging. Leaders are opposed to

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan  is imposing his successor but they are also denying him the Senatorial ticket.

    “In Bayelsa State, there is a subsisting agreement that all members of the National Assembly will not come back. The pact with Senators will put Governor Henry Seriake Dickson in a serious dilemma.”

    A member of the NWC, who spoke in confidence said: “We are aware that the automatic ticket policy for some Senators did not go down well with some PDP governors.

    “This is a family problem; we will ensure a win-win situation for all. The party will work out a formula to appease all.

    “Yet in spite of the situation, some governors have endorsed the return of their Senators.”

    Meanwhile, Governor Sullivan Chime has met with the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for reconciliation.

    Chime has lost the bid to snatch Enugu West Senatorial District ticket from Ekweremadu.

    Although Chime has anointed a member of the House of Representatives, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as his successor, the outcome of the Ward Congresses last Saturday also favoured Ekweremadu group.

    A source in the presidency said: “Chime has met with Ekweremadu after failing to nullify the outcome of the ward congresses in Enugu. The two leaders met in Abuja after a long-drawn cold war for the soul of PDP in Enugu.

    “The two leaders have started talking. The best compromise Chime can get now is to prevail on Ekweremadu to allow  him to produce his successor. That will not be a bad idea for PDP’s victory in Enugu.

    “As it stands, the governor is wrestled to the ground in Enugu by a coalition of forces led by Ekweremadu.”

  • PDP reviews timelines for primaries

    PDP reviews timelines for primaries

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reviewed timelines for party primaries across the nation, preparatory to the 2015 general election.

    Details of the review, as contained in statement yesterday by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha stated as follows:

    “In exercise of its powers under Section 29 (2) (a) and (b) of the Constitution of our Great Party (2012 as amended), the National Working Committee (NWC) has approved the review of timelines (Time-table) for the conduct of Congresses/Primaries preparatory to the 2015 General Elections.

    The new time-table which supersedes the earlier one is as follows:

    A.    HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

    a.       Return of Forms –                                                                                            06/11/14 (Completed)

    b.       Screening                                                                                                        –                             07-09/11/14 (Completed)

    c.       Screening Appeal                                                                                    –                             10/11/14

    d.      House of Assembly primaries –   29/11/14

    e.       Appeals    – 30/11/14

     

    B.    NATIONAL ASSEMBLY:

    a.    Return of Forms   –   14/11/14

    b.    Screening and Appeals    –                    19-21/11/14

    c.    House of Representatives Primaries –            06/12/14

    d.    Senate Primaries  –      07/12/14

    e.    NASS Appeals   –      08/12/14

     

    C.    Governorship:

    a.    Return of Forms       –     14/11/14

    b.    Screening and Appeals    –                    22-25/11/14

    c.    Governorship Primaries –                        08/12/14

    e.    Appeals                                09/12/14

     

    D.    PRESIDENTIAL:

    a.    Return of Forms        –                    15/11/14

    b.    Screening and Appeals    –                    26/11/14

    c.    National Convention                 10-11/12/14

    It is noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been notified of the review.

  • Court restrains PDP, INEC from recognising results of Akwa Ibom congress

    Court restrains PDP, INEC from recognising results of Akwa Ibom congress

    JUSTICE Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has stopped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from using the results of the ward congresses of November 1 in Akwa Ibom State for the purpose of conducting the primaries to select governorship candidates.

    The judge granted the order while ruling on an exparte motion filed by a former Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government and a governorship aspirant in the state, Umana Okon Umana. The motion was argued yesterday by Umana’s lawyer, Godwin Obla (SAN). The PDP, its chairman, Adamu Mu’azu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the defendants in the suit.

    The judge also ordered INEC not to recognize the results of the ward congresses for any purpose because Umana and his supporters were prevented from participating in the said congresses, following a statement made by the PDP excluding him (Umana). Justice Ademola equally issued an interim injunction restraining PDP from excluding or in any way or manner preventing Umana from participating in the governorship primaries slated for November 29th, 2014 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by Umana.

  • Adoke, IGP insist Tambuwal ‘no longer Speaker’

    Adoke, IGP insist Tambuwal ‘no longer Speaker’

    The Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, on Friday argued that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, AminuTambuwal, has ceased to be a member of the House by virtue of his defection to another party and is no longer entitled to rights and privileges associated with that position.

    The duo while justifying the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security details, contended that having defected from the party that sponsored him, he has lost his membership of the House and “automatically ceased to be the Speaker.”

    They argued in a joint counter-affidavit filed in response to the originating summons sent to the court by Tambuwal, challenging the withdrawal of his security aides, alleged threat by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its leadership to reconvene the House, declare his seat vacate and remove him as Speaker.

    The case is being heard by Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    The AGF and IGP, in the -affidavit filed by their lawyer, Ade Okeaya-Inneh (SAN), argued that they cannot be accused of acting in breach of the Constitution by withdrawing the security aides attached to the Speaker because he is no longer the Speaker as at when the security men were withdrawn.

    They argued that Tambuwal, having defected from the PDP that sponsored his election into the House, and having purportedly ceased to be a member of the House and is Speaker, is now “an ordinary citizen of Nigeria, is not exposed to any danger or bodily harm because of the withdrawal of his security details.”

  • Tambuwal: Judge stops reconvening of House

    Tambuwal: Judge stops reconvening of House

    Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday restated his earlier order that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu and others should refrain from reconvening the House of Representatives before its December 3 adjourned date.

    The judge had last week Friday, ordered parties in the suit filed by the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, to maintain status quo.

    He adjourned to November 7 for the defendants to appear before the court and explain why he should not grant orders of interim injunction sought  by the plaintiff in an ex-parte application.

    In the application, Tambuwal urged the court to among others, order the restoration of his security aides.

    Lawyers to the PDP, Mu’azu, Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Yunus Ustaz (SAN) and Ade Okeaya-Inneh (SAN) told the court that their clients have not acted against its order on the matter.

    They assured the court that their clients will not act in any manner to destroy the res (subject matter) of the case.

    Delivering verdict, Justice Mohammed, who was silent on the request that he should make pronouncement on the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security aides, ordered parties continue to maintain status quo and refrain from taking steps that will destroy the rest of the case.

    He elected to hear the objections raised by some of the defendants along with the substantive suit. Those, who filed the objections, are challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

    The judge adjourned to November 17 for hearing.

     

  • Pressure mounts on PDP to cancel congresses

    Pressure mounts on PDP to cancel congresses

    Some governors and leaders are mounting pressure on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to cancel the results of the acrimonious ward congresses held last Saturday across the country.

    It was learnt that some party leaders from Enugu State have secured a  court oder for the cancellation of the ward congresses.

    Seven aspirants in Akwa Ibom said in a petition that there was no congress.

    But the pressure was being rebuffed by the party leadership because, according to them, disputes are limited to some states, especially in the Southeast and Southsouth.

    It was gathered that some governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives have lodged compliants at the NWC.

    Most of the petitions were said to be from Rivers, Enugu, Oyo, Abia,Benue, Anambra, Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Taraba.

    The aggrieved party leaders, aspirants and members are demanding fresh ward congresses.

    A member of the NWC, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have been receiving petitions and represenattions from  some governors and leaders of the party in some states, including Rivers, Cross River, Enugu, Bayelsa, Oyo and Akwa Ibom.

    “These aggrieved members have been calling for the total cancellation of the ward congresses when it was obvious to them that not all the states were affected.

    “Some have also become desperate by securing court orders to force the party to cancel the congresses.

    Some notable leaders and aspirants for governors on the platform of the PDP in Akawa Ibom State declared in a petition that there was no congress in the state.

    In a letter to the PDP Appeal panel, seven aspirants: Umana Okon Umana, Senator Helen Esuene, Justice Nya Ebito, Ime Effiong Ekanem, Bishop Samuel Akpan, Mr. Nsima Ekere and Asuquo Asuquo Okpo titled ‘A total rejection of Akawa Ibom ward congresses of 1st November and call for a freesh and a properly conducted ward congress, they said the list of all aspirants seeking to be ad hoc delegates was not published and displayed where ward congresses were to hold in line with the guidelines.

    They said this made it impossible for a proper congress to be conducted.

    “Some of the envelops containing the election materials did not get to their final destination as they were hijacked in Uyo, the state capital.

    Other reason given to back up the protest are: that there was no accreditation of voters hence no congress held in any local government especially with the absence of original election materials.

    They also said the polling materials in all council areas contained only the names of ad hoc delegates that Governor Godswill Akpabio wanted in it.

    “The conduct of the exercise was fraudulent from the outset. What took place was a well-scripted show put up by the governor, the state executive of the party with the acquiescence of the panel (members) who made themselves available to do the governor’s bidding.”

    The aspirants also said “election had been conducted the day before in the Governor’s Lodge, Uyo”.

    The aspirants urged the party to order a fresh, free and properly conducted ward congress in the state.

    The petition was copied to National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

    PDP National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh said: “Since we conducted ward congresses, the NWC has not met to consider all reports. So, anything you have heard is speculation.”