The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bamanga Tukur, has said contrary to reports that President Goodluck Jonathan had directed him and other members of the National Working Committee, NWC, to go, he is not resigning from his post.
Mr. Tukur who spoke to at the Presidential Villa after a one-hour meeting with Mr. Jonathan,
however, confirmed that eight members of the Committee and their
deputies would resign because they were not properly elected at the
March 2012 National Convention of the party.
Mr.
Jonathan had reportedly asked the NWC members to quit, following a
recommendation by a committee he set up to look into the crisis in the
party.
The
committee chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
SGF, Pius Anyim, and whose membership included four state governors, submitted its report on Monday to the president who allegedly approved it.
The
committee made its recommendation based on a report by the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, which observed that elections of
most members of the NWC did not follow due process.
Some
of the affected NWC members are the Deputy National Chairman, Sam Jaja;
National Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metuh; National Organising
Secretary, Abubakar Mustapha; Deputy National Organising Secretary,
Okechukwu Nnadozie; Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Binta Goje;
National Youth Leader, Garba Chiza; Deputy Youth Leader, Dennis Niyi;
Deputy National Auditor, Umar Ibrahim; National Women Leader, Kema
Chikwe; Deputy National Women Leader, Hannatu Ulam; National Treasurer,
Bala Kao’je; Deputy National Treasurer, Claudus Inengas; and National
Legal Adviser, Victor Kwom.
The
report, however, cleared Mr. Tukur and three other members of the NWC –
the National Financial Secretary, Bolaji Anani, National Secretary,
Olagunsoye Oyinlola and National Auditor, Bode Mustapha. Both Messrs
Olagunsoye and Mustapha have since been sacked by the court.
Three
members of the PDP- Abba Yale and Bashir Maidugu, both indigenes of
Borno State, and Yahaya Sule, who is from Taraba State- are in court
seeking the enforcement of the report the commission.
Mr.
Tukur confirmed to the journalists that his position was not affected
by the report, adding that there is no vacancy in the office of the
national chairman of the party. He said the meeting with Mr. Jonathan
dwelt on rectifying the positions of eight members of the NWC who were
not properly elected.
“It
is not true that I am resigning. Resign for what? It is not true at
all. We are here to run the PDP and we have done so and we will continue
to run the PDP,” he said.
Meanwhile
for the most part of Tuesday, there was unease at the national
secretariat of the ruling party as some members of the NWC, who were
reportedly asked to resign, deserted their offices.
Of
the about 22 members of the NWC, only three of them were sighted in
their offices- the National Treasurer, Bala Kaoje; National Organising
Secretary, Abubakar Mustapha; and the National Youth Leader, Garba
Chizu.
Some
of the NWC members including the Deputy National Publicity Secretary,
Deputy National Auditor, Deputy National Women Leader, Deputy National
Treasurer, and Deputy Youth Leader, do not have offices at the
secretariat.
When
the newsmen visited the Wadata House party secretariat located in Zone
5, Wuse District, Abuja, the staff and personal aides of the embattled
NWC members were seen in groups discussing the development.
Mr.
Metuh was not available to speak to journalists, although, earlier in
the day, he had told the reporters in a telephone interview that the
report which said that Mr. Jonathan had asked them to bow out, was not
true. The PDP spokesman was, however, beside Mr. Tukur when the latter
addressed journalists on Tuesday.
However,
sources indicated that some of the NWC members have started moving out
their personal belongings from their offices ahead of the Thursday
meeting of the National Executive Council, NEC, of the party, where the
party chiefs are expected to resign formally.
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