PDP holds crucial BoT meeting today

A meeting of the Board of Trustees, (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) will hold today in Abuja.

Daily Sun gathered that on the agenda is the con­troversial amendment of the party’s constitution, ahead of its national con­vention in Port Hacourt on May 21.

The proposed amend­ment has polarised BoT members as it mandates the chairman to endorse a meeting of the statutory organ of the party before it could be convened.

The proposed amend­ment says that: “The BoT shall meet at the instance of the chairman, in con­sultation with the national chairman of the party or, at the request of half of the members of the board or following a resolution of the Board or the NEC re­quest for such a meeting.

The subsisting consti­tution of the party only states that “the board of trustees shall meet at the instance of the chairman or at the request of half of the members of the board or following a reso­lution of the board or the NEC requesting for such a meeting.”

Certain members of the BoT and NEC of the party led by former Information Minister, Professor Jerry Gana, had, last Wednes­day, cautioned against the amendment.


Operating under the group, PDP Elders Forum, they noted that the pro­posed amendment would be rejected except it was subjected to proper con­sultations and scrutiny of its statutory organs.

There are, however, strong indications that National Chairman, Sena­tor Ali Modu Sheriff may be encouraged to proceed with the amendment and his plan for the convention as he reportedly enjoys support of some members of the BoT.

Leading the pro-Sheriff force is acting BoT chair­man, who also doubles as secretary, Senator Walid Jubrin.

But, Abdullahi Jalo has expressed fear that the threat of break up of the party by its aggrieved members was real.

Groups against the pro­posed amendment and the convention coalesced into the Concerned PDP Stakeholders last Thurs­day. At their meeting in Abuja, they announced the dissolution of the party na­tional working committee and announced composi­tion of a 23-member steer­ing committee which they claimed would manage the affairs of the party. They equally announced sus­pension of the forthcom­ing national convention.

Members of the steer­ing committee, include former deputy senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, (FCT, Bala Mohammed, Hajia Inna Ciroma and Dr Doyin Okupe, amongst others

Speaking with Daily Sun, yesterday, in Jalo faulted the dissolution of the Senator Sheriff-led na­tional working committee by the Professor Gana led group but noted that they have genuine grievances that should be looked into.

Meanwhile, PDP federal lawmakers will also meet today to deliberate on the crisis rocking the party which has threatened the forth-coming national convention of the party.

A statement jointly signed by Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio and Minority Leader of the House of Representa­tives, Leo Ogor said the joint meeting of Sena­tors and members of the House of Representatives will hold at the House of Representatives Complex.

Conveners of the joint session said the sole agen­da of the meeting would be a review of the state of the party against the back­drop of the forth-coming national convention of the party.

They said attendance is mandatory.

But, sources, however, disclosed that the lawmak­ers may also deliberate on the recent fuel price hike and take a position which would reflect on their col­lective stand on fuel sub­sidy.

The House of Represen­tatives would re-convene today, to, also, deliberate on the recent deregulation of the petroleum down­stream sector in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Coalition For Equity (CE) has peti­tioned the National Hu­man Rights Commission (NHRC) complaining of what it called “ wholesale harassment, arrests and persecution of members of the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) using the Economic and Finan­cial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

The group contended that EFCC should show fairness to all the political parties by equally probing how parties that partici­pated in the 2015 elections funded their campaigns instead of focusing only on the opposition PDP.