Confusion in PDP as Jerry Gana’s faction holds parallel convention in Abuja

….Why we held parallel PDP convention — Mantu

The faction of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, on Saturday, carried out its threat of conducting a parallel national convention.

The faction is currently holding its convention in Abuja, while another convention is simultaneously holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

The Port Harcourt convention is led by Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, the party’s national chairman.

Mr. Gana and other leading members of the party had announced the “removal” of Mr. Sheriff from the office, saying they had taken over the administration of the party.

The Abuja convention is being attended by some of the founding fathers of the party.

Those attending the Abuja convention include former Minister, Tunde Adeniran, former Deputy Senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, and former FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, among others.

Meanwhile, a former deputy senate president, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, explained that a group of founding fathers and elders of the Party decided to organise a parallel national convention of the party in order to restore the party to the path of integrity.

He also said that the Abuja convention was a non-elective convention, citing a court ruling stopping the party from electing a new chairman, secretary and auditor.

Mantu while speaking at the opening of the factional convention said that the mindful of their roles as elders of the PDP, they reviewed recent events in the party and came to the “painful conclusion that the culture of impunity, disdain for democratic norms and utter disregard” for the constitution of the PDP” which he said led to the defeat of the party in 2015 are “rearing their ugly head again”.

The former deputy Senate president who co-chaired the convention alongside a former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran, said the group disagreed with the extension of the tenure of the current National Working Committee.

He said the extension by the National Executive Committee was “null and void” because the NEC cannot grant any such extension under the PDP constitution.

“Therefore, all actions of the Ali Modu Sheriff led executive including the purported congresses and convention in Port Harcourt are null and void and an exercise in illegality,” he said.

He also said the action of the NEC in selecting Mr. Sheriff as chairman of the party was in gross violation of the established procedure for the selection.

Mr. Mantu said the selection of the chairman for the unexpired term of the North East zone started with nomination from the states in the zone, adding that ” Senator Sheriff was not nominated by any state caucus and hence not qualified to be selected”.

The former deputy senator president said the decision by the PDP to go ahead with the Port Harcourt convention in disobedience of a valid court order stopping the convention “signals a worrisome trend that would further weaken the party to the delight of fifth columnists working hard to truncate the historic role of the PDP to provide a viable and constructive opposition to a rudderless government”.

A Court in Lagos had on Monday given an order of interlocutory injunction stopping the PDP convention until a suit instituted by some officials of the party is determined.

In line with that, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had told the PDP it would monitor the election at Port Harcourt convention, with the exception of the offices of Chairman, Secretary and Auditor due to the court order.

When it was time for the “business of the day” at the Abuja convention, Mr. Mantu announced that the convention was non-elective in line with the order of the court.

Those who attended the Abuja convention included former acting governors of Adamawa and Taraba states, Umaru Fintiri and Garba Umar, as well as former Ministers, Tanimu Turaki, Bala Mohammed and John Odey.

Messrs Adeniran, Mantu and Gana are to provide leadership for the faction till its next convention, the group announced.