PDP In Disarray As 3 National Chairmen Emerge

The leadership tussle tearing the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) apart worsened today with the emergence of three National Chairmen for the trobled party.

Former political adviser to ex-president Jonathan, Ahmed Ali Gulak, had on Wednesday stormed the party’s national secretariat to assume position as the national chairman of the party. Addressing newsmen, Gulak claimed that a court judgment delivered by Justice Hussein Buba on December 15, 2015 asking the acting national chairman, Uche Secondus to vacate his office within 14 days equally pronounced him (Gulak) as the new chairman of the party.

But the PDP Governors Forum at their emergency meeting on Wednesday night condemned what they called the invasion of the party’s national secretariat by Gulak.

The governors in their communique made available to newsmen at the end of their meeting, frowned at the action of Gulak and further declared that a meeting of the statutory organ of the party, the National Executive Committee would soon be convened to elect a substantive chairman from the North-east to replace the immediate national chairman of the party, Ahmed Mu’azu who resigned last May.

Also speaking with newsmen, Ondo state governor and chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Dr Olusegun Mimiko disclosed that the governors have directed the national secretary of the party, Professor Wale Oladipo to assume the office of acting national chairman of the party.

“In recognizance of the judgment 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,” Mimiko told newsmen.

The communique read in part:” At the 2016/1st meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum held today, Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at the Secretariat in Maitama, Abuja, we resolved and hereby issue a communiqué as follows;

“The invasion of the party headquarters today (Wednesday) by Ahmed Ali Gulak who reportedly assumed the Chairmanship of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is regrettable and condemnable.

“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 appropriate organs of the party will meet soonest to elect a national chairman of the party from the appropriate zone.”

The governors’ pronouncement asking Professor Oladipo to assume position as chairman was however dismissed as a misnomer by the party’s national working committee which insisted that Secondus remained the acting national chairman of the party, pending the outcome of the meeting of statutory organs of the party fixed for next week.

A statement made available to newsmen and signed by the PDP National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon entitled, ‘No Change In PDP Leadership’ disclosed that ” there has not been any change whatsoever in the leadership composition of the party at the national level.”

The statement further said that “the statutory organs of the party, the NWC, National Caucus, BoT and NEC will be meeting next week to deliberate on some developments including the replacement, from the North East of Alhaji Adamu Muazu, who resigned as the National Chairman of the party.

“The replacement will be in strict adherence to the provisions of the constitution of our great party as specified in section 47(6). Until then, the status quo remains, which means the Deputy National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, remains as the Acting National Chairman.”

Further feigning ignorance of the stance of the PDP Governors’ Forum in the ongoing impasse, the Uche Secondus led NWC claimed that all the organs of the party including the governors were behind it in its efforts to reshape the party.

Kwon said: ” Furthermore, it must be reiterated that all relevant stakeholders of our party, including the PDP Governor’s Forum, National Caucus and the Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as our leadership structures at all levels are united behind the current National Working Committee in the efforts to rebuild, reposition and strengthen our party for the challenges ahead.

“The leadership of our party has resolved to remain focused and not be distracted by the unpatriotic actions of the former Political Adviser to the former President because we are privy to his agenda of being an agent of destabilization in the party.”