Former Minster of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West, has cautioned the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against going ahead with its plot to use the judiciary to declare vacant the seats of five governors of the party, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In an exclusive interview with Sunday Independent, David-West, who was one of the 50 men that drafted the 1979 Constitution, said any court that allows itself to be used to declare the seats of the governors vacant is not only irresponsible, but reckless, because that could plunge the country into chaos.
He said the 1999 Constitution was very clear on defection of governors and parliamentarians.
“Pardon my immodesty, I’m saying this not because I was one of the 50 men that drafted the constitution.
“Before you came, I have already gone back to read the constitution again to bring out the section of the constitution that make nonsense of what they are talking about.
“They are talking rubbish. They are talking nonsense. They cannot do it. PDP cannot declare any seat of a governor that defect vacant.
“I refer to Section 68 and Section 109 of the Constitution. It’s clear that if there is division within the party and certain members of that party felt that they don’t agree with what the party is doing, they can go to any party and still maintain their tenure till the end.
“Originally, it was meant for only governors. Then the lawmakers also wanted to be part of it, so they amended it for the lawmakers too,” he said
When asked whether the earlier ruling of an Abuja High Court, which recognised the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP as the authentic PDP could not be used by lawyers to argue that there is no faction in the PDP, he said: “Did that same court said the G7 is proscribed?
”That judgment was open ended. They said there is only one PDP; the court is right because the PDP is registered with INEC.
“The New PDP was not registered. So the court is right. At the same time, the court was very careful. It didn’t say by this we now proscribe the New PDP. So, New PDP exists. “Even the judge tacitly recognises that there is a faction in PDP, that is why he said there is one PDP registered with INEC. It never said by this we hereby proscribe the New PDP,” he said.
David-West added: “They (G7) are very clever. They first established that there is a faction.
“They created the faction and stayed long enough, thereby they are protected by the constitution.
“The moment they left, they never said they have created a new party. They stayed and always said they were members of New PDP. They are very clever.”
He also berated the Presidency for frustrating the Africa Development Bank (ADB) loan meant for Rivers State.
“Look at the case of ADB; Amaechi wants to bring to the state pipe borne water. Since it is foreign loan, the Federal Government must guarantee.
“Rivers State has satisfied its own part of the deal completely. It’s left for the Minister of Finance to sign for the Federal Government.
”She refused to sign. They are given stupid excuse that they are still studying it. What are you studying? This has to do with the lives of the people.
“And Jonathan had two million votes from the people and yet they are punishing them. They think they are hurting Amaechi. But by doing this, they are making Amaechi poplar.”
He said Amaechi has always been victorious in all his battles with the presidency simply because they underrated him.
“They underrated Amaechi that is why they are in trouble. Amaechi is very brilliant. He has a lot of people that are doing research for him. I know this as a close admirer and friend of his.
“Amaechi has a body of people that do research for him. Every serious leader has what they call think tank. I had, Buhari had. Every serious leader has. Babangida had. “Amaechi is always ahead of them in vision, thinking, plan, and strategy. He has powerful group of intellectuals that are working for him.
“They do al lot of research for him. They meet and analyze a situation before he steps out.”