The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party is taking a new turn as governors of the party are reportedly compiling constitutional breaches against the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, and other members of the National Working Committee.
Investigations by our correspondents indicated that the governors were determined to remove the chairman and members of the NWC from office.
Some of the governors, it was further gathered, were angry with the roles being played by some NWC members, who they claimed to have helped to assume office but who later turned around to become their enemies.
A governor, who disclosed the compilation of the breaches against the party’s constitution, said they were waiting for the party to call its National Executive Committee meeting before making their position known.
He said he and his colleagues were not happy with the refusal of the Tukur-led NWC to call for NEC meeting, which he said was one of the offences being listed against the party’s leadership.
He said, “I can tell you that we are not relenting in our desire to stamp our feet that the constitution of the party must be obeyed.
“The party’s constitution says there must be a NEC meeting at least in a quarter, yet there is no meeting for about nine months and they want us to keep quiet.”
The governors at their meeting on January 9, 2013 had “resolved to call for National Executive Committee meetings of the party to be held as and when due as provided in PDP constitution.”
Twenty-one governors were in attendance where the demand was made.
Part V111, of the party’s constitution, which deals with NEC meetings says, “National Executive Committee shall meet at least once in every quarter at the instance of the National Chairman or at the request of two-thirds of its membership, who shall notify the chairman at least seven days prior to the meeting.”
Another allegation that against Tukur and his team according to the governors, is his alleged determination to conduct a zonal congress for the election of the party’s national secretary.
Tukur had said a fresh congress would be held in the South-West zone to elect a replacement for the former National Secretary of the party, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
The former Governor of Osun State was ousted by the court, which ruled that the zonal congress where he emerged as the candidate from the South-West, where the office of the national secretary was zoned, was not the proper congress.
Oyinlola, who is appealing the court ruling, has since been replaced by his deputy, Mr. Solomon Onwe, in acting capacity.
Tukur had told our correspondent on Thursday, that “The caretaker committee, which is currently in place in the zone, will hold fresh congress where a new secretary will be elected. It is a process and I can assure you that the office is not being taken away from the zone.”
But the governors are insisting that the party’s national secretary not would be elected at the zonal level.
Another grudge issue is the refusal of the party to constitute the party’s Disciplinary Committee as provided in Chapter X of its constitution.
Since the dissolution of the last committee, headed by the former deputy chairman of the party before his elevation to the position of acting national chairman, Dr. Haliru Bello, the party has refused to constitute any committee to handle disciplinary issues.
But the National Legal Adviser of the party, Mr.Victor Kwon, said the party was not deliberately breaching the party’s constitution.
He said, “We are handling issues which has not allow us to hold our NEC meeting as and when due. We are not deliberately breaching the constitution of our party. We are law-abiding and believe so much in the party’s constitution.”
Meanwhile, the PDP in the South-West has called on the national leadership of the party to retain the post of the National Secretary in the region.
A PDP Board of Trustees member, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said the matter would be “determined by the national convention of the party and not the congress.”
Punch Nigeria
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