The Save PDP Group, an umbrella association of professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the reason opposition parties and their agents are bent on frustrating the PDP from holding its August 31 special convention was because of the plan to deny the party a credible candidate for the office of the National Publicity Secretary.
A statement by Alhaji Yusuf Galadima (chairman), Prince Sunny (vice-chairman) and Wale Ojukutu (secretary) respectively, stated that: “These enemies of the PDP have perfected a well laid out plan particularly to stop the election into the office of the National Publicity Secretary of our party with the aim of denying our members the right and opportunity to freely elect an official to defend the interest of the PDP and its governments at all levels.
“This is part of an orchestrated and well funded campaign to deny the PDP a credible voice to defend the policies and programmes of the party and the performances of its elected officials at all levels.”
According to the group, “Our investigations revealed that the opposition, using a Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Mr. Okey Uzoho, a barely known PDP member, seeks to ply all means to compromise and abuse the judiciary so as to secure a spurious court order to stop the election into the office of the National Publicity Secretary at the Special National Convention.
“One of such attempts is a baseless and hurriedly put up appeal filed by Uzoho against PDP and INEC at the Appeal Court with Appeal No. CA/A/68/M/2013 instituted on July 19, 2013 in which he is stampeding the judiciary to grant an Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining our party from putting up for contest the position of the National Publicity Secretary at the Special National Convention.
“It is instructive to state that the appeal is based on an earlier suit with Suit No FCT/HC/CV/2805/2012 in which he alleged exclusion from contesting the position of the National Publicity Secretary at the 2012 Convention of the PDP, a matter that was thrown out at the Federal High Court and which has now been overtaken by events.
“It is public knowledge that in compliance with INEC report which questioned the mode of elections of eight national officers of the PDP and their deputies at the 2012 National Convention, the eight national officers including the National Publicity Secretary and their deputies resigned in accordance with the directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC) on June 20, 2012.
“This summarily put to rest all issues surrounding elections into the affected positions at the 2012 Convention including that of the National Publicity Secretary and effectively opened all of them up for fresh contest.”
Continuing, the group pointed out that “for the avoidance of doubt, following the decision of the National Executive Committee of the PDP in compliance with the INEC report, the position of the National Publicity Secretary and others affected by the INEC report became and remain vacant and all members of the party are absolutely free to seek elections into these offices at the Special National Convention.
“It is, therefore, clear that the plaintiff has no case but maliciously seeks to scuttle the election into the office of the National Publicity Secretary in order to deny PDP members the right to freely elect an official to defend the interest of the PDP.
“The plaintiff as a lawyer should indeed advice himself and desist from making himself an object of public ridicule. If he were still interested in the position of the National Publicity Secretary, he should have joined others in procuring nomination forms and join in the fresh contest at the Special National Convention. His suit at the Court of Appeal is therefore is not only an abuse of judicial process but smacks of either crass mischief or downright stupidity.”
The group, therefore, “urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party to apply the provisions of the PDP constitution on these elements that are making mockery of the true meaning of democracy. The leadership of the PDP should not allow such recalcitrant members to make a jest of the openness of the party.
“We also call on the judiciary not to allow itself to be used by agents of anarchy and disorder. Members of the PDP and delegates to the Special National Convention are ready for the Convention to elect new officers including the National Publicity Secretary of our great party.”
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