The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

  • PDP to hold non-elective convention August 12

    PDP to hold non-elective convention August 12

    …Sacks Sheriff’s structures in Jigawa, Benue, others

     

    The national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has announced August 12, 2017 date for a non-elective national convention slated to hold in Abuja.

    The tenure of the Ahmed Makarfi led Caretaker Committee is to expire on August 16, 2017. The non-elective convention is expected to extend Makarfi’s tenure to allow the Caretaker Committee conduct an elective convention before the end of the year.

    The decision was arrived at on Tuesday, following series of consultative meetings involving the party’s National Caucus, the Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee and members of the Caretaker Committee.

    Briefing newsmen shortly after the meeting, spokesman of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, explained that time constraint forced the party to opt for non-elective convention.

    According to him, given the August 16 expiration of the tenure of the Caretaker Committee, it would be practically impossible to meet timelines prescribed by the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution for the conduct of elective convention.

    Going by relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, the party is required within 21 days, to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in writing informing the commission of a pending elective convention.

    As of Tuesday, the Makarfi-led leadership, which was only affirmed by the Supreme Court on July 12, has lost the 21-day window.

    Also, one of the resolutions taken was the decision to disband the caretaker committees set up in Jigawa and Benue States by the sacked National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff shortly after he was declared chairman by the Court of Appeal in February 2017.

    The two state chapters have been directed to revert to their existing executive committees prior to their dissolution by Sheriff.

    Many other states where parallel executives were set up by Sheriff are also to revert to their original status.

    The party also announced plans to set up standing Disciplinary Committee and Reconciliation Committee to handle issues of discipline and reconciliation among members.

    Adeyeye said the two committees would have no time frame and will permanently remain recognised bodies of the party.

    The spokesman gave hints of amendment to a number of provisions of the party’s constitution, saying that draft of the proposed amendment had already been circulated to the relevant organs of the party for their scrutiny and input ahead of the August 12 convention.

    According to him, the proposed amendment will be geared toward entrenching internal democracy and to check the culture of impunity within the party.

    Adeyeye said the party will participate actively in the governorship election in Anambra State billed to hold in November, stressing that consultations were already ongoing.

    He however said the meeting did not discuss the Lagos State local government election coming up on Saturday, saying that the matter has been left to the Lagos state chapter of the party to handle.

    The meetings, which were held at the party’s secretariat attracted unprecedented number of party faithful across the six geopolitical zones in recent times.

    The hitherto deserted building had sprung to life minutes after the Supreme Court pronounced Makarfi the authentic leader of the PDP on July 12.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan and all the governors elected on the platform of the party attended the meetings, same with members in the National Assembly.

    Also in attendance were former governors, ex ministers, past party chairmen and other former executive members.

    Sheriff and his loyalists however stayed away from the meetings.

  • Reps’ PDP caucus gives Buhari quit notice 

    Reps’ PDP caucus gives Buhari quit notice 

    …says there is vacancy in Aso Rock Villa

    The caucus of the People’s Democratic Party  (PDP) in the House of Representatives has asked President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to begin preparing to vacate the Presidency.

    The caucus also stated that it will not rule out judicial intervention to reclaim its lost seats in the House following the resolution of the leadership crisis that rocked the party by the pronouncement of the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

    The caucus said there is vacancy in Aso Rock Villa because the party is set on reclaiming the seat of power by 2019.

    Leader of the caucus, who is also the Minority Leader of the House, Leo Ogor, while addressing journalists after the caucus meeting yesterday morning, said the caucus’ optimism stemmed from the fact that all its members that left for other parties in the wake of the crisis are on their way back.
    Stating that the party has learnt its lesson from the crisis that almost led to its extinction, Ogor said the resolution of the crisis was not only victory for democracy but an opportunity for PDP to reclaim the seat of power.

    “Nigerians tasted almost 16 years of PDP, they have tasted two years of APC but that is a journey Nigerians don’t want to continue with.

    “Come 2019, we shall restore true democracy where governance belongs to the people.

    “There is vacancy in Aso rock and this is a quit notice to APC government,” he said.

    On the fate of former members that left for other parties as a result of the crisis, Ogor hoped the matter would not get to the point of engaging judicial intervention to bring them back.

    Pointing out that the caucus is currently reduced to 141 members, he said, “For members that left, we will wave the olive branch in an attempt to bring them back to the fold.

    “We believe that they will come back because there is no basis for not doing so, the ticket that got them to the House did not belong to them, it belongs to the party.

    “It is hoped that we will not get to that point but Section 84 of the constitution was clear on the matter and we will not hesitate to approach the judiciary to interpret it for us.

    “A committee will be set up to undertake this assignment; we are willing to welcome them back like prodigal sons because APC is an amalgamation of stage bed fellows”.

    The caucus implored ailing President Buhari to return home immediately, adding that he has a bigger assignment at him,

    Ogor however assured that the PDP will not only offer a credible opposition but assist the government with constructive ideas toward moving the nation forward.

     

  • Supreme Court declares Makarfi as authentic PDP Chair

    Supreme Court declares Makarfi as authentic PDP Chair

    The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, sacked Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

    A five-man panel of the apex court in its judgment delivered on Wednesday, reinstated Ahmed Makarfi, as the authentic National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    It can be recalled that the Ahmed Makarfi Led-National Working Committee, NWC, was earlier sacked by the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal.

    According to the court, the appointment of Makarfi-led caretaker committee is in line with the constitution of the party.

    “The caretaker committee of the PDP led by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi is hereby affirmed as the authentic national leadership of the party.

    “The judgment of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division delivered on Feb.27 is hereby set aside,’’ Justice Rhodes-Vivou held.

    The panel awarded N250, 000 cost against Sheriff.

    Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti and former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau attended the session.

    Many party faithful and chieftains including Markafi, Sen. Ben Obi, Chief Bode George, Chief Dayo Adeyeye, Prof. Jerry Gana, among others were also present in court.

    The judgment of the apex court unanimously agreed to the lead judgment by Justice Rhodes-Vivour.

    Other members of the panel are, Justices Onnoghen, Tanko Muhammad, Kayode Ariwoola and Dattijo Muhammad.

  • LASIEC clears 12 parties for July 22 council polls

    LASIEC clears 12 parties for July 22 council polls

    Ahead of the July 22 council polls, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) says it has cleared 12 political parties out of the 23 registered for the elections.

    Mr Dapo Olatunde, LASIEC’s Director of Publicity, said in a statement that the cleared parties had met the commission’s requirements for the polls and also presented candidates for validation.

    Olatunde listed the parties as the All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Alliance (AA), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party.

    Others are Kowa Party, National Action Council (NAC) , People’s Democratic Movements (PDM) ,United Democratic Party (UDP)
    and United Progressive Party (UPP).

    He said the names of the validated candidates had been displayed at the commission’s headquarters for observation by party members and members of the public.

    Meanwhile, the commission has begun a three-day “Train -the-Trainer”course for its electoral officers across the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.

    According to Olatunde, the training, facilitated by the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), was to equip ad-hoc staff engaged for the July 22 elections.

    IFES is a United States-based organisation committed to the deepening of democracy and international best standards in election management.

    The organization operates in more than 100 countries and is supported by USAID.

  • KOWA urges Obaseki to be magnanimous in victory

    KOWA urges Obaseki to be magnanimous in victory

    KOWA, a political party, has urged Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo to be magnanimous in his political victory by working with all stakeholders, irrespective of political affiliations.

    Mr Thompson Osadolor, KOWA’s candidate in the 2016 Edo Governorship election, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Tuesday.

    Osadolor, who was reacting to Obaseki’s victory at the Supreme Court, described the victory as a call to unite all stakeholders for the purpose of moving the state forward.

    He said just like his previous victory at the Tribunal and Appeal Court, the Supreme Court victory had again reaffirmed that the people truly voted for Obaseki to be the Governor.

    Osadolor said: “Now that the legal battle of the governorship election has been put to rest, it is time for all, irrespective of political affiliations, to put the state at work.

    We must all now come together to work for the common good of the people and the state. We must now put our individual interest or ambition on hold for the common good of all – Osadolor.

    “As for the Governor, I urge him to see his victory as a call to unite all, whether they worked for him or not.

    “He should be magnanimous and humble enough to tap knowledge from his political opponents. What matters most is the overall development of the state,’’ he said.

    Osadolor said many candidates that contested the election with Obaseki did so with the desire to uplift the standard of living of the people and for the overall growth of the state.

    “In going into the contest, however, we were also conscious of the fact that only one will emerge as governor at the end of the day.

    “My point here is that since Obaseki defeated us to the seat, he needs our support; let us avail ourselves to assist him when he requests for it.

    “Obaseki is the governor today; his time has come and it will definitely end one day for another person to take the battle of leadership, but the state remains while leaders come and go.”

    Obaseki, who contested the election the election on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), September 2016, defeated his closest rival and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

    Ize-Iyamu, who was not satisfied with the results of the poll, challenged the victory of Obaseki at the Election Petitions Tribunal alleging irregularity.

    However, the Three-Member Edo Election Petition Tribunal in April dismissed the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, for lack of merit.

    Similarly, in June, the Appeal Court again upheld Obaseki’s victory at the poll while Ize-Iyamu proceeded to the apex court to challenge the Appeal Court’s judgment.

    In the seven-man panel at the Supreme Court on Monday, the judges, in a unanimous decision, dismissed Ize-Iyamu’s case for lack of merit.

  • Lagos: Another PDP lawmaker defects to APC

    Lagos: Another PDP lawmaker defects to APC

    One out of the remaining two Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) members in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Victor Akande (PDP-Ojo I), on Monday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Akande informed the House of his defection on the floor of the Assembly through a letter he addressed to the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, which was read by the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Azeez Sanni.

    Akande, in the letter, said he was defecting because of the factions in the PDP, which he said were not just two but four, especially in Lagos State.

    My defection is to further continue my support of adding legislative excellence to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode and the political leadership of the Speaker of the Assembly, who has impacted on legislative standards in the state.

    “PDP has fallen apart and the centre can no longer hold, so I have chosen to follow the stable APC. I thank PDP for giving me the political platform to showcase myself.

    “I also thank my constituents and traditional rulers in my constituency for their support. I will continue to give them better representation and for me, this is a home coming,’’ Akande said.

    Commenting on the letter, Akande said he moved to APC with the blessings of his people from the Ojo Constituency I, including the royal fathers and all indigenes and non indigenes of the constituency.

    “I consulted widely before arriving at the decision to dump PDP for APC. I hereby shed the garb of PDP and I want to now be clothed with the APC garb,’’ Akande said.

    Akande’s counterpart from the Ojo Constituency II, Mr Olanrewaju Ogunyemi, said, “Akande has made our day in Ojo with this defection.

    “Actually, there is nothing more for him to do in the PDP than to move to the moving train of the APC.’’

    The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, congratulated his colleagues for their good work, which he said, made all the defections possible.

    Obasa also thanked Akande for coming on board the APC.

    He said: “We know you are a man of integrity and we are sure that image will reflect in our party,’’ Obasa said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six out of the eight PDP lawmakers in the Assembly had defected to APC on Feb. 16.

    With the latest defection, the sole opposition lawmaker in the Assembly is Mr Dipo Olorunrinu, representing Amuwo-Odofin Constituency

  • Bayelsa elders to Dickson: Don’t let criticisms distract you

    Bayelsa elders to Dickson: Don’t let criticisms distract you

    Elders from the local government areas in Bayelsa State, Monday, urged the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to remain focus in his approach to development.

    The elders under the auspices of Forum of Restoration Caucus Chairmen (FRCC) insisted that the governor should overlook destructive criticisms and work with quality advice from well-meaning individuals.

    The elders said before advising the governor, they had taken time to tour all the ongoing and completed projects initiated by the governor in the eight local government areas of the state.

    In a statement issued in Yenagoa, the state capital, they said they were satisfied with the developmental strides of Dickson including his “massive investment in agriculture”.

    In the statement signed by the restoration caucus chairmen in the eight local government areas, the elders said they were excited with Dickson’s robust leadership and his achievements in the educational sector in line with his state of emergency in the sector.

    The statement was signed by the Leader of the Forum and Ekeremor Caucus Chairman, Chief T.K.O Okorotie; His Royal Highness Serena Dokubo, Brass; Talford Ongolo, Southern Ijaw and Dr. George Fente, Nembe.

    Others are Chief Godwin Odumgba, Yenagoa; Chief Francis Duokpola, Sagbama; Mr. Isaac Kumokou, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Chief George Okrinya, Ogbia.

    While commending the educational strides of the governor, the elders appealed to the state government to complete ongoing projects in the Jasper Isaac Boro College of Education to cater for increasing school population.

    They appreciated the governor for prudently managing the state’s lean resources saying it accounted for the execution of many developmental projects in the state.

    The elders said: “We urge the governor to continue on this path for the government to achieve more. We also urge all contractors handling state and federal projects in the state to use quality materials and to keep to the timelines contained in their contract agreements.

    “We observed the appreciable stability of the polity in the state with the specific reference to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and advise members of the party to be steadfast as we look forward to the eventual resolution of the party’s crisis.

    “This resolution is actively pursued by the PDP National Peace and Reconciliation Committed headed by Governor Seriake Dickson and other stakeholders across the country”.

    In their appraisal of all the projects in the eight local government areas, the elders said that there was hope that road would get to Ekeremor before the end of the year.

    They observed that in Brass, government was taking steps to partner with the Federal Government to actualise the abandoned Brass LNG project.

    In Kolokuma/Opokuma, they commended the government for completing the Ijaw National Academy and admitting 1000 students.

    “The befitting permanent camp for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been put to use. Also completed is the skills acquisition centre in Kolokuma/Opokuma”, they said.

     

  • Supreme Court affirms Obaseki as Edo governor

    Supreme Court affirms Obaseki as Edo governor

    The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the election of Godwin Obaseki as the governor of Edo.

    The court dismissed appeal filed by Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2016 governorship election in the state.

    Ize-Iyamu had challenged the decision of the appeal court which affirmed the position of Obaseki as governor.

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen led seven other judges that gave the judgement

  • PDP BOT chairman urges Nigerians to embrace cotton farming

    PDP BOT chairman urges Nigerians to embrace cotton farming

    Sen. Walid Jibrin, National Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged Nigerians to embrace cotton farming, considering its strategic importance in boosting revenue base of the country.

    Jibrin made the call on Wednesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nasarawa, Nasarawa Local Government area of the state.

    He said that if farmers and other Nigerians embrace cotton farming, it would fight unemployment, poverty, improve the revenue and the standard of living of the people and the country in general.

    “If Nigerians give attention to cotton farming, it will create employment for many youths, fight poverty, it could improve their standard of living as well as tackle social vices in the society,” he said.

    Jibrin said that no society could survive without agriculture.

    “Agriculture is the major source of livelihood of many families and its importance to the development of any society cannot be over-emphasised.’’

    He also urged the people to pray and support their leaders, to enable them succeed in the task of nation-building, be law abiding, respect constituted authorities and promote the nation’s development.

    The BOT chairman also called on the people to live in peace and tolerate one another, irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations.

  • PDP can never be the same again – Okupe

    PDP can never be the same again – Okupe

    A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has announced his exit from the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    In a statement he circulated in the media yesterday, Okupe cited the party’s protracted leadership crisis, saying the PDP no longer has any future.

    According to him, the PDP no longer exists in his ward as a single unified party and whichever way the judgment of the Supreme Court goes in the pending legal tussle, the party can never be the same again.

    Its current direction is difficult to discern and I am convinced that even when the much-expected judgement from the Supreme Court is given, the future of the party is not likely to be significantly affected whichever way the judgement goes.

    “There seems to be too much deception, selfishness and gross nepotism in our polity nationally.”

    Okupe regretted that political parties had lost their importance and identities.

    “Once the candidate is Northern, his party is immaterial; all northerners, irrespective of their professed party affiliations, will vote for him.

    “This is the major reason why there has been a total absence of opposition in the country in the last two years, and may probably be responsible for the polarisation and sharp ethnic divisions we are currently witnessing in the country.

    “In the East, there is intense anger and loud call for secession, in the Southsouth, there is absolute indignation and very resolute demand for total control of their resources, while the Southwest is bellicose and hell bent on true federalism and restructuring, which many prominent northerners openly oppose for good or for bad.”