APC Fuelling PDP Crisis – Fayose , Makarfi

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Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, have accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being behind yesterday’s PDP botched national convention in Port Harcourt.

The duo, who spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers State after delegates to the national convention unanimously agreed to extend the tenure of the National Caretaker Committee by 12 months, said the ruling party is afraid that a virile opposition, which PDP would provide, would expose its maladministration and failure to move the country forward.

“I witnessed what the police did early today (Wednesday) in Port Harcourt, it is most unfortunate. It has shown that we are indeed in a perilous time in the country.

“The APC is desperate to kill opposition and silence others because they are afraid that their inability to properly govern the country and tackle the challenges facing us as a nation would be exposed by a virile PDP,” Fayose said.

The governor accused President Muhammadu Buhari of dictatorship and wonders the business of APC in the internal affairs of PDP. “If they said they wanted to act on court orders, why didn’t they act on more than four orders that were in favour of the Makarfi group?

“They don’t have answers to the terrible situations in the country, but they know that an organised PDP will be emboldened to challenge them,” he added. Makarfi advised politicians to indulge only in activities that would protect the nation’s democracy.

According to him, “when politicians make the growth of democracy their concern, then, the nation’s democracy will begin to yield positive results. “What we have is a situation where politicians are making efforts to destroy institutions of democracy for selfish interests.”

According to him, some members of the ruling APC were out to ensure that PDP dies. “Our democracy is under huge threat. I urge the APC-led government to concentrate on governance and delivering of good service to the nation. “The country already has enough problems facing it; politicians should not add to the country’s problems by pursuing their selfish intentions,” Makarfi said.

This was the second time in three months that delegates to the PDP national convention failed to elect national leaders of the party. Delegates who gathered in Port Harcourt, River State from 36 states of the country and Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were told to go back home, as the convention could not hold due to the sealing off of the venue by security operatives.

Security operatives drawn from the Nigeria Police Force had cordoned off the Sharks Stadium, venue of convention, in the early hours of Wednesday. The police also blocked all the roads leading to the venue of the convention.

This was the second time the party’s convention was stalled by court order. The May 21 convention could not hold because a Federal High Court in La-gos stopped the party from holding elections into three national offices – the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor.

The convention was subsequently shelved, and delegates opted for a National Caretaker Committee since the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) had expired since March 2016.

Two Federal High Courts in Abuja and Port Harcourt had given conflicting orders concerning yesterday’s convention. While the court in Port Harcourt gave order that the convention should hold, that of Abuja stopped the exercise.

The two courts also gave conflicting orders regarding the role of police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the election. The police, however, choose to obey the Abuja court order, forcing PDP leaders to hold emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the PDP state secretariat at Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

But at about 11a.m., the leaders of the party, who had met at Government House, Port Harcourt and taken a decision on the convention, directed delegates from across the country to converge at the state secretariat of the party along Aba Road.

It was inside a hall behind the PDP secretariat that Makarfi flagged off the convention, as delegates started pouring in from the various hotels they lodged.

The motion for adjournment was moved by the immediate past governor of Niger State, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, whose motion was seconded by Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, lamented that there was hunger in the land, and that the fact that the economy was undergoing recession shows that the PDP is the party that can change the situation.

“We need to save our people from hunger and starvation. We have a responsibility as leaders to change the situation. It is time for Nigerians to take a leap forward and support the PDP,” he said.

Spokesman of the National Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, later in a statement, said the delegates agreed to postpone elections into national offices and to extend the tenure of the National Caretaker Committee by 12 months.

The convention adopted four resolutions vis a vis: the postponement of election of officers to various national offices of the party; extension of the tenure of the National Caretaker Committee till another National Convention which is to be convened within the next 12 months; approving the expansion of membership of the National Care-taker Committee from 7 to 13 members; and exclusion of all members of the National Caretaker Committee from contesting for any national office in the next National Convention of the party.

But PDP factional chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who obtained the Abuja court order that stopped the convention, faulted the NEC meeting that extended the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee. His media aide, Inuwa Bwala, said the meeting was in contravention of section 31 subsection 4 of the PDP constitution.

“The section provides that it is only the National Chairman who can convene a NEC, after giving two weeks’ notice to INEC. “Even in an emergency situation, one-week notice must be given to the national chairman, who has the sole responsibility to convene the NEC,” he added.

According to him, “the rule of law and constitutionality must prevail in all circumstances. As such, whatever decisions arrived at, is not binding and cannot stand in law.”