The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, deepened yesterday, with a faction led by Prof. Jerry Gana sacking the Ali Modu Sheriffled National Working Committee. The faction, which called itself Concerned PDP Stakeholders held a meeting in Abuja and immediately announced the setting up of a 21-member steering committee to manage the affairs of party.
The faction called for the cancellation of the Convention, while distancing itself from the zoning arrangement as announced by the zoning committee. In a communiqué issued and signed by Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the group said: “The purported extension of the tenure of the chairman and other members of the National Working Committee of the party by the NEC was an illegality and therefore untenable and contrary to the provisions of our party constitution, which gives such powers only to the National Convention of the party.
“All actions taken by Sheriff and his NWC, including the ward, local government, state congresses and the planned National Convention constitute a nullity and are of no effect. “We condemn the attempt by the illegal NWC of the party to amend the constitution of the party in order to muzzle and control the BoT and thereby subject the BOT to the wills and caprices of the NWC.
“Rather it is recommended that the BOT be further strengthened and empowered to function effectively as the true conscience of our party. “Deriving from all the above and in order to stop further slide into unconstitutional confusion and widespread disenchantment of party members nationwide, we the founding fathers, stakeholders and leaders of the party from all the 6 geopolitical zones hereby announce a 21 member steering committee to manage the affairs of the PDP, and work intimately with our respected members of BOT, who are the conscience of the party till such a time that a proper, lawfully organised National Convention of the party, where a new authentic leadership of the party will be duly elected in accordance to the provisions of our party constitution and guidelines.” Prof Gana, in his keynote address before the meeting started, alerted that there plans to impose candidates on the party.
He said: “What is happening in the party is a sad development and impunity, mindless imposition, mockery of democracy taking place in the party. “We thought elders would have learnt the bitter lessons of taking people for granted as was seen in 2015. We are returning to worse days in our party.” He decried imposition across the states during the last congresses, noting that the party was donated to persons. He maintained that the rotation of office must reflect North and South with regards to presidential candidate and national chairman.
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“If the party agreed that the presidential candidate must come from the North, how can we not agree that chairmanship must go to the South? “If we are sincere for the Northern states to produce the president candidate, we should insist that the south should produce the next national chairman of the party,” he added. Other party leaders at the meeting include; Ibrahim Mantu, Dubem Onyia, Raymond Dopkesi, ABC Nwosu, Okwesilieze Nwodo; Prof. Tunde Oyediran, Auwal Tukur, Doyin Okupe, Chief Ojo Madueke, Chief Olabode George, Hajiya Inna Ciroma, Shehu Gabam, Mrs Remi Adiukwu, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Amb. Wilberforce Juta, Haliru Ndabawa, Sen. Aniete Okon, Suliaman Abubakar, Hajiya Zainab Maina and Bala Mohammed. Others are Sen. Grace Bent, Esther Audu, Sen. Ibok Essien, Ibrahim Bunu, Adamu Maina Waziri, Alhaji Umar Garba, Sen. Abdul Ningi, Vincent Ogbulafor, Tanimu Turaki, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Stella Omu, Sen. Tunde Ogbeha and Ebenezer Babatope amongst others. In a swift reaction, Modu Sheriff said the PDP will drag Prof. Gana to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the N500m he allegedly collected from a commercial bank on its behalf, even without the knowledge of officials, for which the party has been sued.
The national chairman said the concerned stakeholders are technically not members of the party for daring to drag its internal affairs to public domain. Sheriff’s media aide, Inuwa Bwala, who address the press said: “Certain faceless groups have come up with different gimmicks trying to divert attention from the effects of what they did in the past leading to the squandering of the fortunes of the party, or to distract the attention of the chairman from pursuing very lofty and laudable programmes for the repositioning of the PDP or even just to cause mischief.
“Unfortunately, among such groups are self styled elders and stakeholders, led by Prof. Jerry Gana. “I have seen him sweating on television, playing with language but at the end of the day saying nothing. “I want to specifically say we kept sealed lips about some of the activities of this man, believing that we could still find a rendezvous at which we could work together for the progress of the PDP. I must say, and there are witnesses that this is one character that attempts to play role in every government since the time of the military. “But given his recent action, I do not think that there is much in this man that would help or add value to the repositioning of the PDP. “One wonders why he is leading such group, all self styled, not known to the constitution of the PDP. “As baffling as his activities are, we know that he has his own personal grudges, likewise those who are queuing behind him.
“We know the very ignoble roles that he played that led to the PDP being defeated in the last election. “These were the same characters that deceived President Jonathan into failure. Unfortunately most of them still go round to ask the chairman of one favour or the other and when the chairman declines, they take offence against him. “I know as a fact that Jerry Gana has written to the national chairman to allow him nominate some people into certain committees or allow them perform certain functions for the party. “Whether these requests were granted or not is immaterial. But that is perhaps one of the reasons that he has taken the position against anything this man does. “This is the same man, who recognised the national chairman, writing to him on the need to submit the report on the finance committee which he headed.
“The chairman has been running away from receiving that report because it is on record that the same Jerry Gana on behalf of the party, without using the machinery of the party, collected N500m from Skye Bank, for which the PDP has been dragged to court and is being compelled to pay back. “Leaders of thought in this party, including some elders have prevailed on the chairman not to make this matter known and to save this man from public embarrassment. “But as it is, the chairman may be left with no option than to drag Jerry Gana before the EFCC to explain his role in obtaining N500m facility on behalf of the party and let him also explain what he has done with the money.”
