Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, on Wednesday pronounced himself the substantive chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Gulak made the pronouncement inside the National Working Committee Hall at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
He spoke in company with his loyalists, which included former Special Assistant to ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe and a former Commissioner in Bayelsa State, Chief Ayakeme Whisky.
Gulak said he decided to take over the leadership of the party following the court order of December 16, 2015, which asked the party to name someone from the North-East to replace the former chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.
Gulak told the cheering crowd, which included workers at the secretariat, that the NWC must work with him in order to move the party forward.
You’re fifth columnist working for APC, NWC tells Gulak
But in a swift reaction, the PDP NWC described the action as shocking, a taboo that was unacceptable and described Gulak as a fifth columnist working for the All Progressives Congress, APC, to cause confusion in the party.
It wondered that Gulak could come through the back door to become the national chairman of the party, asking him to go to his zone, consult, lobby for his name to be submitted from the North East zone.
PDP National Legal Adviser, Mr Victor Kwon, dismissed Gulak’s claims but urged him to go and lobby if he wanted to be chairman.
“He cannot proclaim himself national chairman and court did not tell the party to name him national chairman,’’ he said.
Flanked by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Jalo, Kwon who noted that the court ruling cited by Gulak, yesterday, was not mentioned at all, said the party did not receive any hearing notice that the application came up today.
He also said PDP had filed an appeal on December 16 and an application for injunction, pending the appeal, which were served on Gulak.
The National Legal Adviser admitted that the High Court judgement that favored Gulak called for the party to appoint a person from North East within 14 days, adding that the decision did not mandate PDP to appoint Gulak as chairman.
He said: “PDP is law-abiding and respect orders of the party and respect the right of North-East to complete their term.”
Kwon noted that consultations were ongoing to arrive at a person that would be agreeable to persons from the North-East.
According to him, intervening events have made it difficult for the party to get a new chairman from the zone since last year.
“Nobody is making a gain for the elongation,’’ he added.
Kwon further declared that the party had yet to receive any hearing notice that the application came up today.
“So, if the application wasn’t heard today, it goes to show that the stay of execution hasn’t been struck out.
‘’Even the judgment asking Secondus to vacate his seat didn’t say the party should appoint Gulak as chairman,” he said.
He further revealed that a meeting of the PDP NEC would soon be convened to produce a substantive chairman from the North-East ahead of the national convention slated for March.
PDP ex-officios kick, disown Gulak
Meanwhile, 24 ex-officio members of PDP National Executive Committee, NEC, yesterday, distanced themselves from a ploy by Gulak to take over the chairmanship of the party.
Reacting to the inclusion of the chairman of the committee of the ex-officios, Udo Ekpenyong, on the list of an 11-member committee set up by Gulak after he proclaimed himself national chairman of the party, they said they could not be party to any attempt to cause crisis in the party.
Ekpenyong, who coincidentally flew into Abuja barely two hours after Gulak mentioned his name as member of the committee, lampooned him for attempting to divide the party, adding: “I saw a statement by the former political adviser to the president, Mr Gulak, publishing names which he claimed he has inaugurated 11-man committee to look into the affairs of the party.
“I am just seeing this for the first time. Please, I am not a party to this statement. I have never been a party to anything having to do with impunity and against the law.
“I have been in politics for almost 18 years now and I helped to build PDP and I cannot destroy it now.
“There are constitutional ways of doing things. This press release shows personal interests. I am not involved in any way as chairman of the Ex-officios. I cannot be a party to this, I cannot destroy the house that the good people of this country collectively built.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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