The Peoples Democratic Party has begun
moves to sack state chairmen believed to be working against the National
Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
This follows the party’s suspension of
the governors of Rivers and Sokoto states, Rotimi Amaechi and Aliyu
Wamakko respectively, by the National Working Committee over alleged
anti-party activities.
Saturday PUNCH learnt on Thursday
that the planned sacking of the state chairmen followed the declaration
of support for Wamakko by the Sokoto State chapter of the party.
The state chapter had at a press
conference addressed by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mohammed
Arzuka Tureta, on Thursday in Sokoto said it did not recognise the
suspension of the governor.
Sources at the national headquarteers
said the sacking of the state chairmen and executives would deny
governors believed to be working against Tukur and President Goodluck
Jonathan’s reported re-election bid from having any grounds to operate.
By denying them of any party machinery,
the national leadership hopes to effectively weaken the governors and
whip them into line, Saturday PUNCH learnt.
Apart from Amaechi and Wamakko, other
governors being targeted by the PDP are the Adamawa State Governor,
Muritala Nyako; Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Aliyu
Babangida (Niger); and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).
It was gathered that the suspension of
the governors and the sacking of the state chairmen would enable the
Presidency and party leadership to seize control of the Narional
Executive Committee from the governors.
Currently, the 23 PDP governors and state chairmen are in majority in the party’s NEC.
The party’s NEC meeting, based on its constitution, should be held every quarter. But it was held last in July 2012.
The PDP’s NEC consists of the national
chairman, the President and the vice-president, chairman and secretary
of the Board of Trustees and all other members of BoT.
Members of NEC from the Senate are the
President of the Senate, his deputy, Senate Leader and Deputy Leader,
Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip, two senators from each of the
geo-political zones.
From the House of Representatives are
the Speaker, his deputy, Leader and Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy
Chief Whip, three members of the House from each geo-political zones of
the country, who are members of the party.
All governors, who are members of the
party and all the national vice-chairmen and national officers of the
party and their deputies, state chairman. six ex-officio members from
each of the six geo-political zones and all former national chairmen,
deputy national chairmen, national secretaries, chairmen and secretaries
of the Board of Trustees, who are still members of the party, are also
NEC members.
Majority of these members are loyal to the governors from their states.
Part of the powers of NEC include
carrying out the decisions and instructions of the National Convention,
making rules for party discipline which shall be binding on all organs
and members of the party.
The NEC also makes standing orders,
deals with any other matters referred to it by the BoT, establish
departments and set up ad hoc or standing committees of the party.
It is also empowered to supervise and
direct the work of the party and all its organs including the national
zonal, state and local government’s organs.
Other members of BoT, apart from chairman and secretary, have no voting rights.
It was learnt that the party would convene the NEC meeting after ‘recalcitrant’ governors had been dealt with.
It was gathered that the fear that the governors might sack the party’s NWC forced Tukur to delay the NEC meeting.
The decision to “cut the governors to size,” according to Saturday PUNCH investigation, was taken after the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election, which was won by Amaechi.
The PDP leadership and the Presidency
were not support of Amaechi’s aspiration and indeed, campaigned for his
rival, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State.
A member of the NWC, who spoke with our
correspondent, said the party was monitoring the activities of the
‘recalcitrant’ governors and the state chairmen as well as their
comments in the media.
“We are monitoring their activities and
their actions. We are going to deal with them one after the other before
we have our NEC meeting. Anyone that we understand is capable of
causing trouble at the meeting will be suspended before the meeting,”
the NWC member added.
Already, the national leadership have
penciled down the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Prof.
Oba AbdulRahman, as the arrowhead of the onslaught against the Kwara
State governor and his political godfather, Senator Bukola Saraki.
Ahmed is being accused of working for the emergence of Amaechi.
Though AbdulRahman, who is a former
vice-chancellor of University of Ilorin, was said to have been nominated
for the position he is occupying now during his first tenure, he was,
however, reportedly dumped by Saraki when he attempted to run for
governor.
When the present occupier of the office
won the PDP nomination, Saraki allegedly declined to nominate the ex-VC
for the FCC again.
It was learnt that the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, brought the former VC back and
discarded Saraki’s nominee.
When contacted, the National Publicity
Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh said that the suspension of
the governors had no link with the proposed NEC meeting.
He said, “We are not happy about these
problems or these challenges we are having with one or two governors.
The party is not happy and we are not rejoicing about it.
“But the truth of the matter is you
can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg. We are doing this
because we want to build a stable, disciplined party. As people who are
in party administration, this is what we believe is best for the party
at this moment.”
PUNCH
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Eiyaa. The antics of a desperate but frustrated "leader". He may have to sack everybody and become followerless! PDP is dead. RIP
ReplyDeletePDP is now moving in the right direction. The party must be supreme and not the govenors. Any officer of the party that is loyal only to the govenor and not the party should be discipline inline with the provisions of the party. None of this super powerful PDP govenors wouldnt have try that rubbish if they were in ACN. Nigerians should support the present leadership of this great party to snatch the party from the hands of this vipers (Govenors) and hand it back to them. For example, if Murktar shagari was not a loyal party man, Wamako wouldnt have being govenor today. shagari would have toe the line of a disloyal party man like Ameachi and snatch back his mandate the way Ameachi did to Celestine Omehia.
ReplyDeleteThe end of clueless group called PDP.
ReplyDeleteWe are waiting to see how the election would be rigged as usual.