The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PDP

  • PDP sets up panel on Suntai

    PDP sets up panel on Suntai

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday named Senator Hope Uzodinma the chairman of a seven-member panel to ascertain the health status of ailing Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai.

    Suntai has been in hospital overseas since last year following an injury he sustained when the plane he piloted crashed near Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

    The deputy dovernor, Garba Umar, has been acting as the governor.

    Suntai was recently said to have been transferred to a hospital in the United States for further treatment.

    But his condition is still subject to speculations.

    The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday told reporters that the party found it expedient to intervene in the situation in Taraba.

    A statement the party chairman read at the media briefing stated the terms of reference of the panel as follows:

    . To find out and report the extent of the political harmony or otherwise among the key stakeholders within the ruling PDP family in Taraba State;

    . Interact and establish the most effective approach to reduce tothe barest minimum the fears of all the contending interests in Taraba State, among others.

     

  • Tofa predicts bad days ahead for PDP

    •Woos Kwankwaso, Amechi to Apc

    FORMER presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa, yesterday appraised the developments in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and concluded that the ruling party is heading for the rocks.

    Tofa, who spoke in Kano, said he had watched with keen interest the recent turbulence within the PDP and was not surprised.

    According to him, the party, which prides itself as the biggest in Africa, is fast becoming the smallest in the country. He said it was just a matter of time for the ruling party to explode.

    Tofa urged governors, including Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, to urgently pitch their tent with the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    He said: “We hereby extend our hands of friendship and invite them to save their political future by joining the APC before the merger is concluded, so they can be regarded as part and parcel of the new party and not as new comers.”

    Tofa said some governors are contemplating the move, urging them to be brave enough to act now in the best interest of the country and Nigeria’s young democracy, which he accused some people of trying to cripple.

    The former Contacts and Reconciliation Committee Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) noted that Amaechi would not be the last of the governors and other principled leaders of the PDP to be suspended and later dismissed. He said he may also be arrested after leaving office.

    “Such people,” he said, “must take a principled decision and join the APC immediately. These include some senators and members of the House of Representatives and other party leaders who are jittery about the PDP but are hesitating to summon the courage to take a wise decision.

    “They must do so now and relieve themselves of the worry and the guilt.”

     

  • PDP is bane to growth of our democracy

    PDP is bane to growth of our democracy

    SIR: If we are to be frank with ourselves, the main hurdle to the growth of our democracy is PDP. Our democracy is almost 14 years now, and the PDP still believe that they are the reason why our democracy still lives. For how long are we going to continue with this make-believe democracy?

    The reason why our democracy has lived so far is not the success or size of the ruling party but the steadfastness and the struggle of the good people of Nigeria. If Nigeria had been left with the PDP, it would have been a thing of the past.

    PDP has been associated with so many unpleasant and dishonest acts ranging from election manipulation, lack of respect for the rule of law, bad leadership, and false agenda. They have bound our judiciary and even crippled the mass media. They do not pave way for the people to participate in decision making; they make policies that will enrich them and impoverish the masses and thus face incessant criticism by Nigerians.

    Nigerians have not in one day lauded the performance of the PDP since 1999 and this is because they have failed woefully and completely. They have failed in all ramifications. The people are fed up with stories and false manifestoes.

    The truth about PDP is that they have nothing to offer and it is impossible for someone to give what he/she does have. The PDP have not for once accepted the blames for not doing well but rather they blame opposition parties for their non-performance.

    Meanwhile, the crises within the party today is a sign and message to Nigerians that we have missed the road and their nonchalant attitudes towards providing social amenities to raise the standard of living of the people is manifestation of the challenges we are facing now. We can not surmount these challenges, unless we are determined and ready to oust PDP from power.

    • Waziri Mohammed,

    Mokola, Ibadan.

     

  • My suspension is politicial witch-hunt, says Amaechi

    Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has faulted his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the National Working Committee of the party.

    Reacting through the state Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari in Port Harcourt on Monday, Amaechi said “We are concerned, as we believe this is political witch hunt. It is worrisome”.

    “The reason given is the suspension  of the Obio/Akpor council. This is purely a legislative matter and done in accordance to the laws of local government councils in Rivers State,”Amaechi stated.

  • PDP suspends Amaechi

    PDP suspends Amaechi

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party on Monday suspended Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers from the party for dissolving elected party executives in his state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the suspension is contained in a communiqué signed by the party`s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, at the end of an emergency meeting of the NWC in Abuja.

    According to the communiqué, the decision to suspend Amaechi followed a petition submitted by the PDP Rivers Executive Committee against the governor.

    “The NWC at its emergency meeting considered the petition submitted by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee against Governor Amaechi of Rivers.

    “This followed his refusal to obey the lawful directive of the Rivers State Executive Committee to rescind his decision dissolving the elected Executive Council of Obiokpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    “The NWC after preliminary hearing, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 57 (3), 59 (3), 59 (5) and 29 (2.b), hereby suspends Governor Amaechi as a member of the PDP.’’ the communiqué said.

    It added that the governor’s action violated Articles 58 1 (b), (c), (h) and (m) of the PDP Constitution.

    It further said that the issue against the governor would be referred to the appropriate disciplinary committee of the party for further action.

    It stressed that the suspension was in furtherance of the determination of the party’s leadership to enforce discipline at all levels.

  • Rivers PDP crisis: I’m not fighting Amaechi; I’m for peace, says rival chair Obuah

    Rivers PDP crisis: I’m not fighting Amaechi; I’m for peace, says rival chair Obuah

    The Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, has stated that he is not fighting Governor Rotimi Amaechi, while insisting that he and members of his executive are for peace.

    He said his executive would ensure good governance at the state level and in all the 23 local government areas of Rivers State being controlled by the ruling PDP.

    Obuah stated that there was no faction in the Rivers PDP in line with the April 15 judgment of an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Ishaq Bello which sacked the Chief Godspower Ake-led executive.

    In an interactive session with reporters at the state secretariat of the PDP, along Aba Road in Port Harcourt yesterday, Obuah wished Amaechi well, as he marks his 48th birthday on Monday.

    He stated that since assumption of office, his executive committee had made efforts in moving the party in Rivers State to the next level, while recently inaugurating various committees to help re-engineer the party.

    He noted that the blackmail of referring to persons who constructively criticised Amaechi’s administration as those wanting to share Rivers’ money must stop forthwith to avoid sanctions.

    The party boss said he and members of his executive had never dreamt of impeaching the Rivers governor, but wanted development of the state, especially the grassroots, thereby transforming the 23 local government areas.

    He further said: “We are for peace. We want to move Rivers State forward. We want to bring everybody together.

    “We must remain one family. Rivers State has been a PDP state since 1999, and it must remain so.”

    He expressed optimism of emerging victorious at the Court of Appeal, while urging members of the party and Rivers people to continue to give peace a chance.

    The Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, had earlier told Obuah and members of his executive to bear in mind that “the governor is the leader of the party in the state.”

    Wike, a former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and the Director-General of the Amaechi Campaign Organisation in 2011, noted that the PDP had regulations.

    He further said: “What is important to know is that the governor of the state is the leader of the PDP in Rivers State. That is the structure of the party. As a minister, I am not the leader of the party.

    “A leader of the party is a member of the party, and, therefore, the party is supreme. Supremacy of the party is very important. Let me advise the party chairman, go and bring back your children, but one thing that is paramount in this party is that the party must not compromise.

    “What you must know in life is that change is difficult to accept. When there is change, you do not expect people at the same time to embrace the change. Sometimes, they have no choice, but to embrace it.

    “We must at all times respect and follow the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We cannot negotiate it. He (President Jonathan) is our son and in-law. By the special grace of God, we will continue to be wherever he is, until he tells us otherwise.

    “We are in the PDP. We will follow the programmes of the party. We have no choice, but to support his government. I am appealing to every true PDP member that we will continue to support the President and Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. That is important.”

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Rivers chapter, through its Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam, also yesterday asked Rivers labour leaders to avoid undue involvement in the PDP’s deepening crisis, but to focus on activities that would positively impact on the lives of their members.

    The party considered the planned two-day warning strike from Monday and the eventual indefinite strike by Rivers workers as unnecessary, uncalled for and an undue interference in an avoidable crisis which it alleged had opened a can of worms in the ruling PDP.

    The party also said the PDP had failed to call itself to order through amicable resolution of its internal crisis.

    It pointed out that attempts by labour and trade union leaders to drag themselves into the PDP’s crisis would not only cause more tension and disaffection in the state, but would heighten the state of insecurity and distrust.

    The ACN said: “We call on the labour union leaders to reject the temptation of withdrawing the services of their union members through strike.

    “Rather than embark on such damaging, disgraceful and unwarranted action, the unions could better demonstrate more civility by showing genuine concern to their members in ensuring that the numerous welfare packages denied civil servants since the inception of the present administration in the state, are restored.

    “Governor Rotimi Amaechi illegally withheld federal allocations for four local government councils for four months on flimsy excuses that the affected council chairmen did not attend meeting on time and were not loyal. Labour leaders in the state did not kick, especially when their members in the four local government councils were denied salaries for four months.”

    The opposition party urged the labour leaders in the state not to act in a way prejudicial to the decision of the courts on the PDP’s crisis.

    It also told the members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) not to allow themselves to be dragged into political matters, especially that of the Obio/Akpor council.

    The ACN then urged the labour and the trade union leaders to rather help to bring an end to the PDP crisis in Rivers State and not to fuel it.

  • ‘Defecting PDP members are our enemies’

    The Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reconciliation committee in the Southwest, Chief Ishola Filani, yesterday said aggrieved members showing divided loyalty to the party were not serious.

    Filani spoke at the PDP Zonal Secretariat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while receiving reports of the party’s reconciliation committees in Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun and Ekiti states.

    He said: “It is saddening that most of our members who rose to prominence politically today still cling to mushroom parties.

    “Anybody patronising mushroom parties with the aim of making anything out of it is wasting his time and pursuing a personal agenda.

    “Such people are enemies of our party. I do not know what benefit the Accord or Labour Party (LP) can bring to the Southwest ”.

    Commending the committees for their efforts, he said their reports would be looked into by another committee.

  • ‘5,000 didn’t defect from Ogun PDP’

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has denied the claim that 5,000 people, including some of its members, have defected to the Labour Party (LP) in Remo Federal Constituency.

    According to media reports, Mr. Ladi Adebutu claimed that he and 5,000 people from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and PDP defected to the LP.

    In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Waliu Oladipupo, PDP said: “The figure either existed in the imagination of those behind the claim or they counted fishes, pigs, chicken and other poultry products in their farms..

    “The question that comes to mind is: if he had so many followers, how come he did not win the House of Representatives election in 2011?

    “Modern day politics has gone beyond some featherweight politicians looking for a marriage of convenience by jumping from one platform to the other.

    “Adebutu must have mistaken politics for the gigs he throws over pork and drinks. It is far more sophisticated than such frivolities.”

    The party said it was glad that notable PDP leaders in Remo Division, who Adebutu claimed went to LP with him, have denied the claim.

    PDP said: “We are glad that prominent leaders, including Mr. Dave Salako, Chief Duro Otesanya and Ladi’s father, Chief Kessington Adebutu, who is a staunch supporter of the PDP, do not approve of his political prostitution.”

     

     

    It appealed to its members to remain strong and focused, saying “the Adebayo Dayo-led Exco is committed to peace and reconciliation. It is an ongoing process; and sooner than later, all grey areas will be sorted out.”

  • Sack of PDP’s NWC members: Court fixes June 10 for definite hearing

    Sack of PDP’s NWC members: Court fixes June 10 for definite hearing

    Justice Suleiman Belgore of the Abuja High Court, Apo has fixed June 10 for definite hearing in a suit seeking to sack some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The judge chose the date yesterday after it became obvious that parties were yet to file the processes.

    They are to file and exchange the preliminary processes before the next date to enable the court consider them along with the originating summons.

    The suit was instituted by three aggrieved members of the party – Abba K. Yake, Yahaya Aruwa Sule and Bashir Maidugu. The plaintiffs are challenging the election of 17 members of the party’s NWC.

    It is the plaintiffs’ core contention that the emergence of the defendants as officers of the party is a nullity on the grounds that certain provisions of the constitution of the PDP (first defendant) were breached.

    The plaintiffs averred, in a supporting affidavit, that the defendants’ continuous holding of office as national officers of the PDP will “jeopardise the workings and or activities of the first defendant, including the conduct of future nomination or election of candidates into public offices.”

    The affected NWC members include: Sam Sam Jaja (Deputy National Chairman), Solomon Onwe (Deputy National Secretary), Bala Ka’Oje (National Treasurer), Chief Bode Mustapha (National Auditor), Umar Tsauri (Deputy National Auditor) and Olisa Metuh (National Publicity Secretary).

    Others are: Dr. (Mrs.) Kema Chikwe (Women Leader), Victor Kwon (National Legal Adviser) and Anunakar Mustapha (National Organising Secretary).

    The plaintiffs argued that “the INEC Monitoring Team”, which monitored the contentious March 24, 2012 National Convention, “observed and reported that the mode of election adopted for single candidates was not in accordance with the mode of election stipulated in paragraph 6.0 (ii) of page 17 of the Guidelines for the conduct of year 2012 convention and therefore unacceptable to the commission.”

    They said the “PDP arbitrarily caused the return of some of the named NWC members into each of their various national offices.

    The plaintiffs argued that as a result of the actions of the first defendant (PDP), the first and second plaintiffs were denied the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. They prayed the court to determine among others, whether the purported appointment or selection by affirmation and continuous appointment of some of the defendants is a nullity by virtue of the provisions of Articles 2 and 85 of the Constitution of the PDP 2009 (as amended).”

    The plaintiffs want “an order nullifying the selection, affirmation and or appointment of the second- 18th defendants as national officers of the first defendant.

    “An order compelling the first defendant to conduct fresh elections into the national offices held by the second-18th defendants.”

    The defendants, in their objection, prayed the court to strike out the suit on the basis that the plaintiffs lack the locus standi to file the action, more so that “they did not exhibit their membership card.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘PDP plants moles in ANPP to scuttle merger’

    ‘PDP plants moles in ANPP to scuttle merger’

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) governorship candidate in Niger State in the 2011 general elections, Mr. David Umaru, has claimed that he has uncovered plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to scuttle the merger of the party with three others to form the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    He alleged that the emergence of the State Interim Management Committee purportedly constituted by the national leadership of the party was not only unconstitutional, but that members of the committee are moles of the PDP planted to scuttle the merger.

    Speaking in an interview in Minna yesterday, Umaru, the party’s leader in the state, alleged that members of the Interim Management Committee are agents of the PDP planted in ANPP to act the script of the PDP to thwart the merger.

    He said some members of the committee were known to be on the payroll of the PDP-led administration of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.

    The ANPP leader alleged that the committee was constituted secretly without the knowledge of the constitutionally-recognised leaders and stakeholders, with the intention of scuttling the merger plan by further polarising the party.

    He said Hajiya Mohammed Jumai remained the Chairman of ANPP in the state, adding that his group would not allow the PDP moles to disrupt the merger.

    At the weekend, the Mrs. Afiniki Dauda-led Interim Management Committee, at its inaugural meeting, urged party members to forget their grievances and ensure that ANPP enters into a merger with other parties in the state.

    Mrs. Afiniki said her committee would ensure that aggrieved members were reconciled in keeping with the directive of the national secretariat.

    But Mr. Umaru, a lawyer, said the party was not in a crisis in the state that would warrant a reconciliation committee.

    He added: “These are the same people used by the PDP in 2011 to cause problems in the party.”