POLITICS
PDP Crisis: Ayu Obeys Benue High Court Order, Vacates Office
By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has replaced the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu with Amb. Umar Damagum as PDP Acting Chairman barely 24 hours after a Benue State High Court restrained the National Chairman from parading himself as the chairman of the party.
Until Damagum’s appointment as the acting Chairman of the PDP yesterday, he was the Deputy National Chairman (North).
Introducing Damagum at a news conference, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said the NWC had met and reviewed the case against Ayu, and resolved that the former national chairman step aside pending the outcome of the suit.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at an emergency meeting today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023 acknowledged the Order of the Benue State High Court, dated March 27, 2023 with regards to the Chairmanship position of our great Party.
“After a careful consideration of the Court Order and in line with Section 45 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the NWC resolved that the Deputy National Chairman (North) His Excellency, Ambassador Umar Ililya Damagum assumes the National Chairmanship of our Party in acting capacity with effect from today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023,” Ologunagba said.
He called on all leaders of the party, critical stakeholders and supporters to remain calm and united “at this critical time”.
In a brief remark, Damagum said he would be acting as chairman of the party pending the determination of the suit against Ayu.
He said the NWC would today (Wednesday) review developments within the party.
Responding to question on why Ayu came to the PDP national secretariat on Tuesday after he was restrained from parading himself as chairman of the party by a High Court in Benue State, Damagum said the former chairman has the right to come and pick his belongings from office
Earlier, the PDP Executive Committee in Igyorov Ward, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State has disassociated themselves from the purported letter of Vote of No confidence and suspension of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Some members of the Ward executive had suspended Ayu on March 24, 2023 for alleged anti-party activities.
Mr. Kyaave Vihive, a member of Igyorov ward, who briefed newsmen at the PDP national secretariat, Wadata Abuja, said the executive committee had never discussed in any of their meeting the conduct of the National Chairman in line with Chapter 10 section 57 of the party’s Constitution 2017 as amended.
“The Executive Committee Members have stated clearly that they have no knowledge about the letter and have not authorized anybody whatsoever to generate such mischievous letter on behalf of the Executive Committee.
“The purported signatures on the letter are forged and no member of PDP Executive Committee of Igyorov Council Ward have signed that letter nor caused to be signed on their behalf. The names of the Executive Committee Members are wrongly written and spelled which show the desperation of the mischief makers.
“The content of the purported letter itself is contradictory on the holding of the presidential and National Assembly Elections on the 25th March, 2023 while the letter itself is dated 24th, March, 2023. The letter was written before the purported Commission of the offence which shows clearly that it is the hand work of the mischief makers.
“We hereby pass vote of full confidence on Senator Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and we also pledge our full support for his pragmatic leadership style (as the National Chairman of the Party) by taking our party to the higher heights.
“The public is hereby notified to disregard the letter and its content for not being genuine and also not coming from PDP Executive Committee of Igyorov Council.”
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
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