THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013
63
NEWS PDP BoT fails to elect chairman
T
HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) last night failed to elect its chairman. At the end of a three-hour meeting at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the board raised a sixmember committee to review it membership which generated controversy at the meeting. Former Information Minister Prof Jerry Gana is chairman of the committee. Other members are: Alhaji Shettima Mustapha, Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema, Senator Hope Uzodimma, Senator Stella Omu and fomer Deputy Nationa chairman Chief Olabode George. The committee was given three weeks to submit a re-
From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja
port. The committee will determine the authentic members of the board. These will include those who are statutory members, the founding members and those elected for a period of time. Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada Chief Ojo Maduekwe spoke to reporters early today on the outcome of the meeting alongside Board’s Secretary, Senator Walid Jibrin, who was asked to continue in that position, Prof. Gana, and Presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati. Maduekwe said the committee would align the membership of the board to en-
sure that the election is a model of internal democracy. He said the meeting did not discuss or endorse any of the twelve candidates. “The meeting did not come close to election, nomination or endorsement of any aspirant. There was no deadlock and no gridlock,” he said. He also denied the existence of major cracks in the PDP family. He however admitted some form of disagreements as a result of different interests. On the Adamawa crisis, Gana said the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has set up a committee made up of President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo,
leaders of the National Assembly and some elders to resolve the crisis. Jibrin confirmed the 12 members who showed interest in the BoT chairmanship as: Dr Alex Ekwueme, Dr Ken Nnamani, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr Amadu Ali, Chief Tony Anenih, Chief Emmanuel Iwuayanwu, Chief Don Etibet, Chief Yekeen Adeojo, Senator Onyeabor Obi, Chief Harry Akande and Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun. President Jonathan presided over the meeting which was attended by Vice President Sambo; President of the Senate David Mark and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwwal. Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo was absent.
2015: Govt crackdown on opposition leaders likely Continued from page 4
The party said a fortune had been earmarked for the phased campaign, which has already started with a welloiled media war, being waged especially online, denigrating these leaders. ‘’Some key government agencies have also been coopted to dig up any dirt they hope can be plastered on the targeted leaders while foreign intelligence agencies have been contacted in a desperate attempt to unearth any information that can be used to discredit and disgrace these major opposition figures thus distracting them from the merg-
er plans. ‘’Indications are that highly-combustible sectional and religious issues that are being manipulated by desperate forces to divide and destroy are not off the table as long as exploiting them can shut down the opposition. Or how else does one interpret a recent PDP statement that President Goodluck Jonathan is being criticised by the opposition because he is from a minority ethnic group? ‘’And what about the continuous efforts, which have failed so far, to portray a key opposition leader as a sponsor of Boko Haram? His nom-
ination as a ‘facilitator’ of some phantom peace talks was not an accident, but was carefully choreographed to portray him as a religious zealot and terrorist not fit to preside over the affairs of the nation,’’ it said. The ACN warned that every action of the PDP-led Federal Government concerning the stated evil machinations will be put under the microscope henceforth, and called on all lovers of democracy and the rule of law to be on the alert in the days and weeks ahead to help forestall the evil plan. ‘’Those who either conveniently acquiesced or opted to
dine with the devil when many progressives took to the trenches during the long, bitter and gruelling battle to enthrone the democracy we are now enjoying apparently do not value it, and will stop at nothing to endanger it on the altar of selfish personal interests and political expediency. ‘’It is, therefore, incumbent on all Nigerians, especially those who believe that all hands must be on deck to nurture and strengthen our democracy, to be vigilant. After all, it is said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,’’ the AC N said.
Governors meet on Constitution amendment Continued from page 4
bers of the National Executive Committee (NEC). By ignoring our advice, Tukur believes we are unimportant. “The challenge at stake is not about Governor Murtala Nyako but it borders on the deliberate slight of the PDP Governors Forum. “Were it not for the intervention of the President, we also know what to do because governors are certainly in charge of party structure. The PDP Chairman and his team have been violating PDP Constitution. They have not called NEC meeting regularly as enshrined in the party’s constitution. “We are certainly taking our anger against the PDP National chairman to Mr. President. We want the kangaroo congress nullified.” Asked what was really at stake in Adamawa, the source added: “It is about power struggle to hijack the PDP structure in the state ahead of 2015 poll. “This is the type of the problem which led to the sudden exit of a former National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.” A party leader in Adamawa said: “We are happy that the President is intervening because he would be able to have a first hand knowledge of how Governor Nyako has hijacked the PDP structure. “The main issue is that the governor does not believe in a transparent and democratic process. The National Secretariat of the PDP stood by the truth and due process. The conduct
of the congresses was not a personal agenda of the National Chairman. The acting Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Nathan Musa, had on January 2, stopped the conduct of the state congresses. Justice Musa restrained the PDP Caretaker Committee, following complaints against the conduct of the ward congresses of December 27, last year. But the Caretaker Committee went ahead with the ward and local government congresses. It was learnt that PDP stakeholders defied the court order because it was alleged that the governor hurriedly appointed the acting CJ to stop the congresses. A leader of the party in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, said the appointment of Justice Musa as an acting Chief Judge was a violation of Section 271 Subsection 1 of the Nigerian constitution He said “such an appointment is not only unconstitutional but a direct disregard to the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the Federation Maryam Alooma Mukthar. “The Chief Justice of the Federation, wrote a letter to the state governor which specifically requested the governor to forward the name of Justice Bathimawus Popo Lawi being the most senior justice of Adamawa State for appointment as substantive Chief Justice of the state and to forward to her office the date of his confirmation and swearing in. But the governor refused to do so.”
101
09-01-13