State Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are divided over the party’s National Convention billed for today (Sunday) at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
The the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike is holding the convention
The Chairman of Edo State PDP who’s also the Chairman of the Forum of PDP State Chairmen, Tony Aziegbemi, kicked against the convention as a related case was pending before the Supreme Court.
The faction of the party led by Tanimu Turaki is challenging a recent judgement by the Court of Appeal upholding a lower court filling which nullified the Ibadan PDP convention that produced the Turaki National Working Committee.
Aziegbemi has warned that going ahead with the convention was a breach of the rule of law.
He said “the convention being planned by the Wike faction is illegal, as there is a case at the Supreme Court which is yet to be decided.
“I will urge the state chairmen and their members not to attend the convention because it is illegal. INEC should also monitor those being paraded as delegates. They are impostors, and the list being used might not tally with the one with INEC.”
The Sokoto State chapter of the party boycott of the convention has added to the latest but festering crisis that has greatly witlled down the power of the once but rulling party.
The spokesperson of the governors-backed camp, Ini Ememobong, said Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; and the party’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, would not attend.
“Our leaders, governors, members of BoT, members of the National Executive Committee and others won’t attend the convention,” he said.
Relying on the ongoing reconciliation efforts, Wike and his supporters said the convention would continue adding that internal disagreements were normal in a large political party.
“There is room for accommodation. The PDP is a very large party. Look at the umbrella, it is wide enough to accommodate everyone,” he said after inspecting the venue.
Wike said the Kabiru Turaki appeal at the Supreme Court would not affect the convention, adding that “we have already zoned our positions. Every zone has its own slots. The presidency has been zoned to the South, while the chairmanship is zoned to the North. We believe this consensus arrangement will make the process easier.”
Similarly, smarting from the position of former Governor of the State, Dr. Oludoka Saraki, the Kwara State chapter together with that of Kebbi state have said they would participate in the convention.
The Kwara State Chairman, Alhaji Isa Bawa, said the resolved to attend the event after deliberations on the leadership crisis currently plaguing the party at the national level.
The Kebbi State Secretary, Abubakar Kalgo, said delegates had been mobilised and were ready for the event, adding that that the decision to attend the convention was unanimously agreed upon by key stakeholders of the party in the state.
