Over 3,000 delegates are expected to attend the special non elective convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, holding in Abuja today.
Already, attempts to stop the convention through a court order on Thursday has failed. The National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee, NCC, of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye disclosed these yesterday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the preparation for the party’s convention.
He said:”Some people tried to scuttle the convention through the courts but they failed.” When asked for details, the party spokesman said since the plot did not succeed, there was no point talking about it. It was however learnt that the attempt was made by some chieftains of the party in the South West zone, which is still enmeshed in crisis.
Adeyeye said no fewer than 3000 delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) will participate in the Special non-elective National Convention.
He noted that the convention will also be observed by the various foreign missions and international organizations.
The PDP spokesman said the special convention will be an avenue to reunite members of the opposition party after the 14 months leadership crisis that bedeviled it.
According to him, the “Unity Convention”, will afford the PDP members across the country an opportunity to celebrate the Supreme Court victory that rescued the party from the precipice.
Besides, Adeyeye said the PDP will use the convention as an avenue to send a strong signal to the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) about its preparedness to regain power in the country in 2019.
He said with its leadership crisis over, the opposition party is poised to sack the APC led government, which he described as “an abysmal failure” in every aspect.
He said, “We wanted to make it a unity convention . Hence we decided to bring so much people to serve in this committee. Those who were with Sheriff have been intergrated in the convention committee. The policy of no ‘victor, no vanquished’ has been fully implemented by the caretaker.
“We have seen so much enthusiasm by members. It is going to be a carnival like convention. PDP members across the country are coming “We are expecting over 3000 delegates.
Foreign missions are invited. International Organizations are coming to observe this convention. Our members in the diaspora have started arriving ,” he stated.
The PDP however declared that the governing APC has squandered a lot of goodwill given to it by Nigerians in 2015, just as it blamed the resurgence of Boko Haram in the country after the PDP, on the failure of the party to continue with the insurgency fight after it took over power.
The party described the charges against former Minister of Petroleum Resource, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke as wild allegation and challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to go to court if it has any case against her.
Adeyeye said, “This is not the way to prosecute anti-war, go to court if you have any charge against her. It is only the court that can pronounce her guilty.
“If you said you recovered N150 billion, why is Nigeria in recession? What are you doing with recovered loot?
APC propaganda will not save you,” Adeyeye advised. At the same time the party has cleared for the primaries six out of seven aspirants seeking to be the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party,in the forthcoming Anambra state governorship election.
The aspirants were cleared by the screening committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 18 Anambra State governorship elections. The aspirants who were cleared yestetday were; Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, Senator Stella Odua, Hon. Lynda Ikpazu, Prince Okechukwu Emeka and Dr. Alex Obiogbolu. However the seventh adpirant, Mr. Oseloka Obaze was given provisional clearance pending a waiver by the national leadership of the party while Ufodike Akolisa was disqualified for dual citizenship.
The Chairman of the screening committee and former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Mina Waziri who issued certificate of clearance to the aspirants, said Akolisa was disqualified because he possesses Nigerian and Candiian citizenships contrary to section 182 (1) of the Nigeria Constitution.
He however, said any aspirant who feels dissatisfied with the outcome of the screening should appeal to the Appeal Committee. Alhaji Waziri disclosed that the committee relied on three documents – the Nigerian Constitution, the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Guideline, in screening exercise.
He said the decision of the committee was unanimous. “PDP has learnt its mistakes and has rebranded,” he added, urging the aspirants to respect the committee’s decision and work with whoever that eventually emerges as the PDP candidate for the election.
