Plot to scuttle PDP convention thickens

Okey Muogbo, Abuja - 28.12.2007

APPREHENSION has gripped leading national chairmanship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over alleged plans by some leaders of the party to stop the national convention of the party and appoint an acting national chairman.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that serving officers of the party, led by a former president who feels that his interest is threatened by the election of a new national chairman, have vowed to stop the convention.

The former president was said to have won the party officials to his side with the argument that the incumbent officers should remain in office till 2009 so as to complete their terms.

According to the sources, the former president was insisting on no election to stop the emergence of one of the candidates who is seen as a political enemy.

The anti-convention group was said to have contacted many prominent and influential members of the party who held sway during the last administration to support the postponement of the convention.

In place of the convention, the group is said to be calling for the appointment of the incumbent Secretary of the Party, Chief Bernard Eze, as acting national chairman of the party till the next convention in 2009.

It was gathered that the choice of Eze was to disprove the belief that the SouthEast that the party was not willing to allow an Igboman to be the national chairman though the post has been zoned to the area.

Also, the group is said to trust Eze more than most of the leading chairmanship candidates became part of the leadership of the party during the last administration.

However, it was gathered that the campaign to suspend the convention had run into a hitch in two fronts. The first hitch was said to be the refusal of President Umaru Yar’Adua to back the suspension of the convention and the appointment of an acting national chairman for the party.

The second hitch was that the anti-convention group could not get legal support for the appointment of an acting chairman as the PDP constitution is said to have no provision for it.

Chief Eze was said to have shown interest in the national chairmanship but decided against picking a form to contest the post at the last minute.

Contacted on his mobile phone, Chief Eze said PDP had not officially decided to appoint an acting chairman. Asked further if he had been approached to be made the acting chairman, he replied, “ I am right now in my village enjoying the Christmas.

“I left Abuja about two weeks ago and nobody has told me I will be given any position. I do not want to talk politics until I return to Abuja,” he added.

It was gathered that it was in response to the plot to scuttle the convention that nine of the chairmanship candidates recently met in Abuja where they expressed their worries over the way the PDP was handling the convention.Decisions at that meeting as contained in their resolution included to invite the “attention of President Umar Yar’Adua in his capacity as the leader of our great party, the National Caucus and the Board of Trustees to the communication gap, the attendant discontentment and air of uncertainty that now beclouds the political space in Nigeria with the recent pronouncement of the national Executive Committee on the indefinite postponement of the National Convention of the party; a decision which is reminiscent of the usual culture of impunity and arbitrariness in the conduct of the affairs of this party.

“That the postponement of the National Convention of the party from 8th December 2007 to 5th January 2008 and now indefinitely has cast a dark shadow on the credibility of the entire process and raised doubts and suspicion of a hidden agenda to scuttle the congress and Convention.

“That it is difficult for any right thinking person to imagine that a party with tested leaders and a star-studded legal department did not know that they are required by law to issue a 21 days notice to INEC before the commencement of the now aborted congresses.

We had hoped that who ever was responsible for exposing the party to such international embarrassment and ridicule would have been sanctioned by the NEC meeting.

“That as major stakeholders we are genuinely concerned about the unfolding political landscape especially the alleged premeditated manipulations to extend the life of the present National Executive Committee in total violation of the spirit and letter of the zoning of government and party offices as agreed by the National caucus of the party more that six months ago.

“That we have every information that as part of the grand plot to abort the convention some lawyers have been engaged to obtain an injunction restraining the party from conducting the National Convention. We have it on authority that this is part of the plans to extend the life of the administration or to plant an already anointed stooge as acting National Chairman till 2009,” among other resolutions.

Those who attended the meeting included Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Mr. Ezekiel Izuogu, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, Chief Dan Ulasi, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu, Chief Noel Agwuocha Chukwukadibia, Dr. Carol Nwosu and Chief Franklyn Ogbuewu who was represented.