Prof. Gana Thwarts Sheriff's Deal, Sets For Parallel PDP Abuja Convention

The Nation - The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new twist with the party set to hold two separate national conventions on Saturday.

While the faction loyal to the National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, will be holding its convention in Port Harcourt, another faction, headed by a former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, will be holding its own in Abuja.

The two factions met simultaneously in Abuja on Tuesday to fine-tune plans for their separate conventions.

The pro- Sheriff convention is backed by the party’s serving governors, its National Assembly caucus and a faction of the Board of Trustees (BoT) led by the chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin.

The Gana group, under the aegis of Concerned PDP Stakeholders, inaugurated its 56-members steering committee to conduct its convention and pilot the affairs of the party afterwards.

Members of the group include Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Hajia Inna Ciroma, Amb. Wilberforce Juta, Alhaji Ibrahim Bunu, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri, Senator Bala Mohammed, Mr. Taminu Turaki, Dr. Doyin Okupe and Mrs. Remi Adiukwu.

Also in the group are – Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Prof. ABC Nwosu, Sen. Ben Obi, Mr. John Odey, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, Alh. Shittu Mohammed Kabiru, Senator Grace Bent, and Senator Anietie Okon.

A group of former PDP governors who are also named as members are – Chief Lucky Igbinedion, Mr. Bonnie Haruna, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, Mr. Donald Duke, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, Alhaji Mahmood Shinkafi, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure, Sen, Ahmed Makarfi, Chief Achike Udenwa, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and a former PDP national Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

At a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), Walid said he met with the Gana group up to 2:30am on Tuesdays where he pleaded with the aggrieved members to drop plans for a parallel convention.

“I pleaded with them to refrain from actions capable of destroying the unity and progress of the party. I made it clear to them that I will not be attending meetings other than the ones called by the organs of the party.

“As a matter of fact, I made it clear to them that I will be leading the BoT members to the Port Harcourt convention,” the BoT chairman said.

Also speaking at the NEC meeting, Sheriff said the party had resolved to cancel results of the just concluded congresses in some states and that fresh congresses would be conducted in the affected states.

PDP BoT Endorses Sheriff As Chairman, Election of New Chairman Barred By Court

Obviously in a move that could be termed as an endorsement of the embattled national Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, the Board of Trustees, BoT of the party yesterday unanimously extended the tenure of the National Chairman to 2018, Vanguard News reported.

News Punch had yesterday in a headline error, which read; PDP Dethrones Sheriff, Elects New Chairman, Secretary, published the accounts of the PDP BoT's ratification of Sen. Walid Jibril a substantive BoT Chairman and the election of  Ojo Maduekwe, as the board's Secretary. The headline error highly regretted.

In a related development, confusion was said to have pervaded the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Monday evening when words filtered in that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has stopped the party from conducting elections into the offices of the national chairman of the party, the national secretary and its national auditor Punch Newspaper reports this morning.

The court has also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from monitoring the conduct of any election into the offices.

He is to now quit office in 2018 to allow for the emergence of a chairman from the southern part of the country, while the north produces the party’s presidential candidate for 2019 election. 

On their part, the chairman of the party and its governors dropped the proposal to amend the party’s constitution at the forthcoming convention in Portharcourt, while also promising to revisit the conduct of state congresses that were contentious in some states. 

The Board also confirmed the position of its chairman, Senator Jibril Wali, who had been in acting capacity, while also appointing Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe as secretary of the board. While Jibril was appointed unanimously, Ojo Maduekwe’s appointment followed the stepping down of his sole challenger, Senator Stella Omu.

PDP is planning to hold its national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Saturday, May 21.

The order to restrain the party from conducting the elections followed a case brought before the court by the National Chairman of the party, Senator Modu Sheriff; the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; and the National Auditor, Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju, who were listed as 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs in the case.

In the case with suit number FHC/L/CS/61 3/2016, dated 6th of May, 2016, both the INEC and the PDP were listed as the 1st and 2nd defendants.

The plaintiffs prayed for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the 2nd defendant from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied  by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the 1st defendant/respondent from monitoring and or recognising the conduct of any election by the 2nd defendant/respondent into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

According to the court order dated May 12, 2016 which was shown to reporters at the party secretariat in Abuja, the affidavit in support of the Motion on Notice and the exhibits attached were deposed to by Adeyanju.

In response to the submission made by the plaintiffs’ counsel, the court presided over by Justice I.N. Buba, granted the following: “An order of interlocutory injunction as requested by the plaintiffs/applicants restraining the 2nd defendant/respondent from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

“An order of interlocutory injunction to the plaintiffs/applicants restraining the 1st defendant/respondent from monitoring and or recognising the conduct of any the 2nd defendant/respondent into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

The substantive case has been adjourned till May 24, 2016.

Efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of the party’s National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon, failed as he did not pick the calls made to his telephone.

But the national secretary said the party was aware of the court order.

Credits: Punch Newspaper, Vanguard Newspaper

PDP Gets New BoT Chairman, Secretary (UPDATED)

The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has elected Sen. Walid Jibril as its substantive chairman.

The Board of Trustees (Bot) of the PDP has elected a former minister of Transportation,

The body at a meeting at its national secretariat on Monday also elected Chief Ojo Maduekwe as its secretary.

Jibril, until his new position was at one time acting national chairman and secretary of the party

Maduekwe, an old time politician, when he was minister in charge of the federal ministry of transport, sought to evolve a bicycle revolution in the country, when he advocated that workers take bicycle to work.

The opposition party has been embroiled in crisis over the tenure of its current national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff.

Earlier headline, which read the PDP National Chairman was dethroned was an error highly regretted by NEWS PUNCH