ABUJA—National leadership of Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, urged the national leader of Action Congress
of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to leave the people of Ekiti State to
decide for themselves, accusing him of trying to bar some persons from
contesting in Ekiti governorship election in 2014.
In a statement, yesterday, by PDP
Acting Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tony Okeke argued that it was extremely “wicked
and undemocratic” for Tinubu to ask House of Representatives member from Ekiti
State, Opeyemi Bamidele, to forget his governorship ambition.
The PDP Acting Publicity Secretary
said: “By ordering a House of Representatives member from Ekiti State, Opeyemi
Bamidele, to forget his governorship ambition in the 2014 governorship
election, Tinubu has once again displayed his despotic tendencies and utter
disdain for democratic process.
“This is extremely wicked and indeed
the height of tyranny and outright disparagement for the people and their right
to choose their leaders as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as amended.”
Reminding Tinubu that he was not
from Ekiti State and as such should not decide for the people, PDP urged the
people of the state “to rise up to the occasion and defend their rights by
rejecting the usual practice of allowing godfathers to select their leaders for
them.
He said: “In openly endorsing Ekiti
State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for a second term and ordering Opeyemi to
forget his ambition, Tinubu has clearly shown his resolve to truncate laid down
electoral processes.
“This will retain the system through
which the resources of the state are being diverted to private purses.”
Noting that ACN had shown that it
was not ready to respect the rights of the people, PDP urged all lovers of
democracy to come over to the “national party where no individual sits in his
room and decides who will be candidate for an election.”
Meanwhile, indications emerged,
yesterday, that the Special National Convention of PDP, which had been
postponed indefinitely, may suffer a major set back.
As part of moves against the
Professor Jerry Gana-led Committee, some members of the party have gone to a
Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to set aside the pronouncement of
PDP’s last National Executive Committee, NEC, where the appointment of about 18
acting national officers of the party were endorsed.
The three members of the party who
had initially instituted a suit, asking for the dissolution of the PDP NWC that
eventually led to the resignation of members of NWC, Honourables Abba Yale,
Yahaya Sule and Bashir Maidugu have again filed the fresh suit, seeking an
order of the Court to set aside and nullify all the processes, leading to the
appointment of all the acting national officers.
In the suit filed on their behalf by
Jubril Samuel Okutepa, (SAN), the PDP members are contending that the action of
the PDP NEC which asked the officers indicted to relinquish their positions
amounted to self help, in view of a subsisting case on the matter.
The PDP members are also seeking an
order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the PDP “ and all its agents
including its national chairman, Alhaji Bamamga Tukur and any other person or
group of persons acting for and on the behalf of the defendant (PDP) from
convening and or holding any meeting or convention in furtherance of the
decision of the NEC of the defendant made during the pendency of this suit, pending
the hearing and determination of this case”.
The applicants are also seeking an
order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the PDP national chairman from
performing any functions or duties assigned to the PDP NWC, following the
resignation and removal of all members of the national working committee.
Further checks revealed that the
application was moved before Justice Belgore on Wednesday and the case had
since been adjourned till July 15, 2013.
It will be recalled that PDP NEC at
the end of its meeting last month directed 20 members of the NWC to vacate
their positions, following a report of the INEC which noted that the emergence
of the affected officers through voice votes, as against proper election was a
contravention of the party guidelines for congresses and conventions.
Source: Vanguard
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