The crisis rocking the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is not about to get better as some of the members of the party have sued it for violation of election guidelines in the election of its national officers.
Three members – Abba Yale, Alhaji Yahaya Aruwa Sule and Basir Maidugu – filed a suit before an Abuja High Court on March 27, 2013, a day before the Independent National Electoral Commission made public a report in which it voided the election of 12 members of the PDP National Working Committee and are asking an Abuja High Court to compel the party to conduct a fresh convention to elect its national officials.
INEC, had in the report faulted the process adopted by the PDP in electing the 12 officials on the grounds that it violated paragraph 6.5 of the guidelines used for conducting the 2012 congresses and national convention of the party.
It, however, approved the elections of the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the Financial Secretary, Bolaji Anani; the sacked National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and the sacked National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha.
Oyinlola and Mustapha were in February removed by the Bamanga Tukur-led national leadership of the PDP, which relied on court judgments which were against them.
But just as the PDP on Wednesday insisted on ignoring the report by INEC, the three members filed the suit in which they also argued that Sections 6.5 (I), page 13 and 6.0, page 17 of the guidelines for congresses and national convention of the PDP were violated.
The petitioners are seeking among other things:
• An order compelling the first defendant (PDP) to conduct fresh elections into the national offices held by the 2nd to 18th defendants as national officers to bring same in tandem with PDP’s constitution;
• An order nullifying the selection, affirmation and or appointment of the 2nd to the 18th defendants as national officers;
• The nullification of the election/ appointments of 17 national officers of the PDP.
The plaintiffs claimed that “the 2nd defendant (Bala Ka’oje) is not an Accountant but a graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, having obtained a B.Sc. in Building Engineering and was purported to be elected national treasurer of the PDP.
They also said that the “3rd defendant (Bode Mustapha) is not an Accountant but a graduate of the National Open University of Nigeria, having obtained a B.Sc., in Criminology and Security Services and was purported to be elected or appointed national auditor of the PDP.”
They also alleged that the 4th defendant (Umar Tsauri) is not an Accountant and was purported to be elected or appointed deputy national auditor of the party, while the 5th defendant (Garba Chiza), was purported to be appointed or elected national youth leader.
They further argued that Articles 13 (6) page 75; 13 (14), page 78; and 13 (15), page 79 of the PDP Constitution, made it mandatory that qualification for nomination and or election into the offices of the national treasurer, national auditor and deputy national auditor is to be a qualified accountant.
According to them, “The 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, not themselves being accountants, were not so qualified for nomination, appointment and or election into the offices of national treasurer, national auditor and deputy national auditor.”
They also argued that the election of the 5th and 6th defendants was in violation of Articles 13 (20), page 80; and 13 (21), page 18 of the PDP Constitution which stipulate that those to be elected into the two offices should be between the ages of 18 and 40.
They observed that “the 5th and 6th defendants, above 40 years of age respectively, did not possess the qualification precedent for nomination and or election into the office of national youth leader and deputy national youth leader.”
The plaintiffs further argued that, “If the 2 to 18 the defendants are allowed to hold or continue to hold office as national officers of the PDP and participate in the activities of its NWC and National Executive Committee, they will jeopardise the working and or activities of the party, including the conduct of future nomination or election of candidates into public offices, including the candidate into the hallowed office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
This comes just as sources say that President Goodluck Jonathan met with the NWC over the crisis in the PDP on Wednesday evening at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting which was held behind closed doors started around 9pm and is said to have been mainly about the issues bordering on the crisis within the party. It was also expected to come up with the best ways to handle the issue of the cancelation of the 12 NWC members by INEC.
As at the time of filing this report, the outcome of this meeting was not known.
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