Barely some hours to the Peoples Democratic Party’s national convention in Abuja, the Adamawa state chapter of the party has announced its decision to boycott the event if President Goodluck Jonathan fails to cancel the state governorship primary held in Abuja.
A former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, won the governorship primary which held Monday.
The members of the Adamawa chapter, including six of the seven state governorship aspirants, during a press briefing at the party secretariat in Yola on Tuesday, condemned the outcome of the election, and what they said was the role of the National Working Committee of the party in the internal squabbles in the state.
The party leaders said they have resolved to boycott the party’s national convention on Wednesday.
“We therefore resolve to abstain from the National convention of the party scheduled for tomorrow,” said Joel Madaki, the suspended state chairman of the party.
The spokesperson of the group, Andrew Sawa, said, “The PDP stakeholders and all aspirants of all cadres express our displeasure with the way and manner our great party is being deliberately thrown into confusion by the national secretariat in collaboration with a few from the state.”
Mr. Sawa accused the national chapter of “flagrant and open abuse of the rule of law” for conducting the state governorship primary in Abuja on Monday.
Mr. Sawa noted that the party’s guidelines and the Electoral Act stated clearly that “should there be any change of election venue, there must be a notice of not less than seven days and more to that effect and all elections should be held in the various constituencies”.
He said in this case, there was no prior communication either from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, or the party.
“We therefore call on President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the national leader of our great party to cancel the kangaroo primaries held by the NWC in Abuja or leave us with no option but to follow the view of the entire people of the party and the state,” he said.
Six of the aspirants were in attendance at the briefing: Ahamed Moddibo, Markus Gundiri, Aliyu Kama, Abubakar Girie, Grace Bent and Awal Tukur.
The state governor, Bala Ngillari, was represented at the meeting by his campaign director, Abubakar Girei.
They all condemned the action of the National Working Committee of the party and urged Mr. Jonathan to look into the issue before it disintegrates the party in Adamawa and Nigeria.
Mr. Madaki said party members regrets the way and manner the party thrown into confusion, “with the flagrant and open abuse of the rule and law with impunity with regard to party primaries and is a thing of serious concern that is heading to the complete eradication of the party in the minds of our grassroots supporters.”
Mr. Ngillari’s representative, Mr. Girei, said “it is our unanimous resolution to distance, condemn and reject it in its entirety, and that in protest to that we will not be part of any illegality that is happening within our party. (Source: Premium Times)
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