The opposition party PDP seems to be in a right old mess with the news that a former minister of information Jerry Gana who is also a founding member of the party along with other chieftains of the PDP have allegedly taken leadership of the party from Ali Sheriff.
Mr. Gana and his group under a banner called ‘Concerned Stakeholders’ met on Thursday in Abuja to discuss matters pertaining to the party. After this gathering, which was attended by former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, a former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran, and media mogul, Raymond Dokpesi, a communique was released rejecting the decision of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, to extend the tenure of Mr. Sheriff to May 21, 2016.
“The purported extension of the tenure of the Chairman and other members of the national working committee by the Party by the NEC was an illegality and therefore untenable and contrary to the provisions of our party Constitution which gives such powers ONLY to the National Convention of the Party,” the Concerned Stakeholders said.
“All actions purportedly taken by the said NEC and the National Working Committee, including the Ward, Local Government, State Congresses and the planned National Convention of the Party slated for the 21st of May 2016 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State constitute a nullity and are of no effect”.
The group were also of the opinion that the zoning arrangement declared by the chairman of the Zoning Committee, the governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom would not be accepted as it ran afoul of PDP’s code of ethics or “established principles and practice”
“Deriving from all the above and in order to stop further slide into unconstitutional confusion and widespread disenchantment of party members nationwide, We the founding fathers, stakeholders and leaders of the party from all the 6 Geopolitical zones hereby announce a 21 member steering committee to manage the affairs of the PDP, and work intimately with our respected members of BOT who are the conscience of the party till such a time that a proper, lawfully organized National Convention of the party, where a new authentic leadership of the party will be duly elected in accordance to the provisions of our party constitution and guidelines,” they said.