Imminent implosion looms in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its National Working Committee (NWC), governors and former political aide to president Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, clashed over the national chairmanship of the party.
Governors of the party have mandated the embattled acting national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to hand over the leadership of the party to the National Secretary, Prof Adewale Oladipo.
This was part of the resolutions in a communiqué after the PDP Governors Forum meeting late Wednesday night in Abuja.
But the National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP maintained that Secondus, who is the Deputy National Chairman, remains the Acting National Chairman.
The national legal adviser of PDP, Barr. Victor Kwon, reacting to the position of the governors, stressed that any replacement of Secondus will be done in strict adherence to the provisions of the constitution of the party as specified in section 47(6).
He added that all stakeholders of the party, including the PDP Governor’s Forum, National Caucus and the Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as leadership structures at all levels are united behind the current NWC.
But Ahmed Gulak, who maintained that he is the national chairman of the party, told the PDP governors that they were misadvised for asking the national secretary of the party to take over.
Gulak, in a statement he signed as the national chairman of PDP, faulted the position of the governors. He said the constitution of the party precludes the national secretary from chairing the NEC, NWC and the caucuses of the party. He noted that only the national chairman can chair these organs.
The NWC led by Secondus has called for NEC and BoT meetings next week.
The PDP governors, while upbraiding the former Special Adviser to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak for declaring himself the chairman of the party, expressed reservations over the refusal of Secondus to respect the judgement of an FCT High Court which last December ordered him to vacate office for any other person from the North East zone.
Chairman of the forum and governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who read the communiqué on behalf of his colleagues said, “In cognizance of the judgement the court gave, we call on the national secretary to take over the leadership of the party immediately and that is in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.”
He continues, “We take cognizance of the judgment by the court in Abuja which ordered the acting chairman to vacate office for any other person from the North-East zone of Nigeria. Our party constitution has enough provisions for that and the necessary process has been put in motion.”
The governors lambasted Gulak for declaring himself the new chairman of the party without recourse to the appropriate organs of the party.
“The invasion of the party headquarters today by Ahmed Ali Gulak who reportedly assumed the chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party is regrettable and condemnable.”
They added that the issue of the chairmanship of the party will be resolved very soon to enable someone from the North East to complete the tenure of the last National Chairman Adamu Muazu, who resigned after the woeful performance of the party in the 2015 general elections.
-Leadership
