Confusion In PDP As NWC Divided Over South West Congress

There is confusion in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the National Working Committee (NWC) is divided over the South-West Zonal Congress.

Principal officers of the party such as the National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu, National Financial Secretary, Abdullahi Maibasira and three others are insisting that the party must conduct the congress.

The position of the trio is contrary to a court order restraining the party from conducting the congress pending the determination of a suit over the venue of the congress.

But the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; National Secretary, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri; National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem and others are said to be insisting that the party will not do anything against an order of the court.

Justice C J. Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had ruled on January 19, 2021 that status quo ante bellum be maintained pending the determination of the originating summons in the suit number FHC/L/CS/63/2021.

The suit was filed by some members of the South-West Zonal Caretaker Committee, seeking an order of the court directing that the zonal congress be held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Apart from the PDP, other defendants in the suit are the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus and National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem.

However, a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated March 31, 2021, indicated that the party had scheduled its North-west, South-west and North-central zonal congresses for April 10, 2020.

The letter was signed by the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, and the National Secretary, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri.

According to the letter with reference number: PDP/DOM/GF.2/VOL.IA/21-031 and addressed to the chairman of INEC, the South-west zonal congress will hold in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, while the congresses for North-west and North-central will hold in Kaduna and Makurdi, respectively.

THE WHISTLER gathered that the Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, has the National Organising Secretary and Financial Secretary in his camp, in his bid to hold the congress in Ibadan, notwithstanding the substative court order.

A party source disclosed that a NWC meeting was held on Tuesday, where issue of the outstanding congresses was discussed. However, the meeting, which was presided over by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Suleiman Nazif, did not conclude on the congresses as it was suggested that members of the NWC should consult their constituencies.

The source said when the National Legal Adviser heard of the plot to conduct the congress, he issued a legal opinion, warning on the consequences of disobeying court order.

“The National Legal adviser gave his opinion, warning on the consequences of disobeying a subsisting court order. He said it will be contemptuous for the party to take any action against the order of the court, stressing further that PDP as a party that is championing respect for the rule of law, must not be seen as disobeying order of the court.

Another source disclosed that in the course of the follow-up meeting on Wednesday, the National Legal Adviser was called to give his legal opinion and he again warned of the consequences of going ahead with the congress in disobedience to order of the court.

“However, the National Organising Secretary still insisted that the congress must hold, saying that five out of the 12 members of the South-West Zonal Caretaker Committee who filed the suit have already withdrawn from it.

“The National Legal Adviser however said it was not the business of the NWC to be rationalizing a matter that is pending before the court on which an order had been granted and it is still subsisting. He pointed out that whether or not, any of those who filed the suit pulls out, it will still not affect the potency of the court order, since other parties did not withdraw.

“The National Legal Adviser went on to state that should the party go ahead to disobey the order of the court, it should be on record that his hands are clean.”

Out of those who attended yesterday’s meeting, Col. Akubundu, Maibasira and three others voted in support of the congress holding while the National Secretary and National Youth Leader, Ude Okoye and others said they won’t be part of any illegality.

However, when the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus who is abroad, was called, he queried what the interest of those championing the conduct of the South-West congress was in rushing to conduct the congress in disobedience to order of the court.

He therefore overruled the decision to go ahead with the congress, noting that he, the National Secretary and to National Legal Adviser who are defendants in the suit, will be the ones to face contempt charge should the order be disobeyed.

“With this development, the South-West congress is put on hold until the court case, which has been adjourned till April 16, 2021, is determined,” a member of the NWC who preferred anonymity said.