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| Sheriff |
• Court halts party’s S’West zonal congress
• Event will hold as planned, says Fayose
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) descended into a fresh
crisis yesterday with some members under the umbrella of “Concerned
Stakeholders of the PDP,” yesterday announced the immediate dissolution
of the Sheriff-led PDP National Working Committee (NWC).
And apparently in anticipation of the decision of the elders, the
Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff threatened to drag former Information
Minister, Professor Jerry Gana to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of a N500 million bank loan.
In Lagos, Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos
yesterday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Ali Modu
Sherrif from conducting any election into the party’s Southwest Zonal
Executive Committee.
Justice Buba also barred PDP from recognising any such election until
the originating summons is determined.The zonal congress was scheduled
to hold tomorrow (May 14) for Akure, Ondo State and Ijebu Igbo, Ogun
State.
However, Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that the
party’s Southwest Zonal Congress slated for Saturday (tomorrow) in
Akure, Ondo State will hold as scheduled.
The governor, who addressed journalists at the PDP National
Secretariat in Abuja today, said materials for the Congress had already
been distributed through the appropriate authority.
He said the party was not aware of any court order, stopping the
congress and as such, machinery is in motion for a hitch-free congress.
The Jerry Gana-led group also announced a 21-member steering committee to manage the affairs of the PDP until what the group called a lawfully organised national convention was put together.
However, Sheriff in his reaction accused the PDP elders of trying to
divert attention from their misdeeds that led to the party losing the
2015 presidential election.
Sheriff, who spoke through his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Alhaji Inuwa Bwala, threatened to drag some of them before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to explain how they mismanaged the party’s resources.
Sheriff, who spoke through his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Alhaji Inuwa Bwala, threatened to drag some of them before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to explain how they mismanaged the party’s resources.
Bwala said: “We know the very ignoble roles that he played that led
to the PDP being defeated in the last election. These were the same
characters that deceived President Jonathan into failure. Unfortunately
most of them still go round to ask the chairman of one favour or the
other and when the chairman declines they take offence against him,”
Sheriff said.
He continued: “This is the same man that who recognized the national
chairman, writing to him on the need to submit the report on the finance
committee which he headed. The chairman has been running away from
receiving that report because it is on record that the same Jerry Gana
on behalf of the party without using the machinery of the party
collected the sum of N500 million from Skye Bank on behalf of the PDP
for which the PDP has been dragged to court and is being compelled to
pay back.
The Jerry Gana-led PDP stakeholders described as a nullity and of no
effect, “all actions purportedly taken by the said NEC and the National
Working Committee, including the ward, local government, state
congresses and the planned National Convention of the Party slated for
the 21st of May 2016 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”
The group described as unacceptable and against the established
principles and practice of PDP, the zoning arrangement announced by the
Akwa Ibom State Governor Emmanuel Udom who headed the zoning committee.
The group said added the steering committee members who were not
named yesterday would work with members of the Board of Trustees (BoT)
until new leadership of the party is elected in accordance with the
provision of the PDP constitution.
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