The National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party
in Abuja, on Tuesday, agreed to set up a Standing Disciplinary
Committee for its erring members.
The need to set up the committee was said to be the outcome of
what a source described as “fierce arguments” by members of NEC
following the 14-month crisis in the party, which ended recently
with the judgment of the Supreme Court.
Before the NEC meeting was held, members of the party’s Expanded
National Caucus, National Caucus and the Board of Trustees had
met.
Our correspondent gathered that decisions reached at these three
meetings were brought to the NEC and debated by members before
conclusions were reached.
Apart from the disciplinary committee, the NEC also agreed to
set up a Standing Reconciliation Committee.
Spokesperson for the party, Dayo Adeyeye, said these were part
of the decisions taken at the 74th NEC meeting, which was held at
the party’s national secretariat.
It was gathered that majority members of the NEC voted for the
establishment of the two committees, especially disciplinary
committee.
The members, according to some members of NEC, who spoke with
our correspondent on condition of anonymity, insisted that the
former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
and his followers be sanctioned for the roles they allegedly played
in the 14-month crisis that rocked the party.
The PUNCH had reported on Tuesday that the national leadership
of the party was under pressure to sanction Sheriff and his
group.
Apart from Sheriff, those likely to be drawn before the proposed
committee, include a former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo;
the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and the acting
National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bernard Mikko.
It was gathered that some members of the past National Working
Committee also played important and what a prominent member of the
party described as “strategic roles in the Sheriff camp.”
Some of the identified members were said to have started making
overtures to the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker
committee.
Apart from that, they were said to have attended the Expanded
National Caucus meeting of the party on Monday night in Abuja.
Though Adeyeye was not specific about those to be invited by the
disciplinary committee when it is inaugurated, he alluded to the
fact that the last crisis necessitated the need to set it up.
He said, “People know that this party was rocked by very
terrible disciplinary issues which nearly brought the party down
completely.
“NEC decided to set up standing Disciplinary and Reconciliation
committees; and the National Caretaker Committee has been directed
to establish and inaugurate these committees immediately.”
The former Minister of State for Works did not say when the two
committees would be inaugurated.
He also said that the meeting agreed that the party should hold
its national convention on August 12, at Abuja.
He, however, stated that the convention would be
non-elective.
Adeyeye said this was because the party needed to give the
statutory 21 working days notice to the Independent National
Electoral Commission, adding that the party members also needed a
reasonable notice.
He said this would not be possible because the tenure of the
present members of the caretaker committee would expire on August
16.
It was however gathered that the convention would extend the
tenure of the caretaker committee and might also fix a date for the
national convention, where new national officers would be
elected.
He said, “We took a decision on the national convention. So, the
prolonged litigation of the national leadership tussle ended only
last week on July 12 when the Supreme Court gave judgment in favour
of the National Caretaker Committee, leaving barely one month for
the conduct of proper elective national convention.
“Taking into account the relevant statutory notice that we need
to give to INEC and the requirements of the PDP Constitution 2012
(as amended), practically, it is going to be impossible to have an
elective national convention before August 16 because we need to
give certain statutory notices to INEC.
“And our own has some special provisions that we have to meet
and there’s no time to meet up with those provisions.
“Therefore, NEC took a decision that in view of all the
circumstances, NEC invoking the powers conferred on it, decided to
convene non-elective national convention on August 12, 2017 in
Abuja.”
On the removal of state caretaker committees, Adeyeye said those
that were sacked by Sheriff, when the Court of Appeal gave a
judgment in his favour on February 17, had been directed to return
to office.
The PDP spokesman added, “All state caretaker committees and
state parallel executives, set up after the Court of Appeal
judgment of February 17, 2017 at Port Harcourt, had been removed
and replaced by the duly elected officials in the affected
states.”
Adeyeye disclosed that the meeting took a decision on
constitution amendment, which he said would affect those to be
elected at the national convention later in the year.
Meanwhile, Sheriff has said he was not invited to any of the
four meetings.
Sheriff, who was reacting to some reports that he was absent
from the caucus meeting, appealed to members of his camp not to
leave the PDP.
He said this through the former spokesmen for his National
Working Committee, Bernard Mikko, adding that he would address a
world press conference on the way forward, after studying the
Supreme Court judgment that removed him from office.
Mikko stated that Sheriff was neither in the country nor invited
to the meeting at Wadata Plaza on Monday evening.
He said, “However, he will address a world press conference on
the way forward after we have received and studied the full
judgment of the Supreme Court and analysed its import on our
democracy.
“We therefore appeal to all our loyal supporters nationwide not
to defect as we are still committed to bringing the party back to
the grass roots.
“We assure them that we will not only give them a voice, but
they will also be heard. We will collaborate with global
anti-corruption networks to bring all corrupt politicians in
Nigeria to book, including the PDP members having criminal cases
bordering on dishonesty and malfeasance.”
Punch
The National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party
in Abuja, on Tuesday, agreed to set up a Standing Disciplinary
Committee for its erring members.
The need to set up the committee was said to be the outcome of
what a source described as “fierce arguments” by members of NEC
following the 14-month crisis in the party, which ended recently
with the judgment of the Supreme Court.
Before the NEC meeting was held, members of the party’s Expanded
National Caucus, National Caucus and the Board of Trustees had
met.
Our correspondent gathered that decisions reached at these three
meetings were brought to the NEC and debated by members before
conclusions were reached.
Apart from the disciplinary committee, the NEC also agreed to
set up a Standing Reconciliation Committee.
Spokesperson for the party, Dayo Adeyeye, said these were part
of the decisions taken at the 74th NEC meeting, which was held at
the party’s national secretariat.
It was gathered that majority members of the NEC voted for the
establishment of the two committees, especially disciplinary
committee.
The members, according to some members of NEC, who spoke with
our correspondent on condition of anonymity, insisted that the
former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
and his followers be sanctioned for the roles they allegedly played
in the 14-month crisis that rocked the party.
The PUNCH had reported on Tuesday that the national leadership
of the party was under pressure to sanction Sheriff and his
group.
Apart from Sheriff, those likely to be drawn before the proposed
committee, include a former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo;
the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and the acting
National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bernard Mikko.
It was gathered that some members of the past National Working
Committee also played important and what a prominent member of the
party described as “strategic roles in the Sheriff camp.”
Some of the identified members were said to have started making
overtures to the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker
committee.
Apart from that, they were said to have attended the Expanded
National Caucus meeting of the party on Monday night in Abuja.
Though Adeyeye was not specific about those to be invited by the
disciplinary committee when it is inaugurated, he alluded to the
fact that the last crisis necessitated the need to set it up.
He said, “People know that this party was rocked by very
terrible disciplinary issues which nearly brought the party down
completely.
“NEC decided to set up standing Disciplinary and Reconciliation
committees; and the National Caretaker Committee has been directed
to establish and inaugurate these committees immediately.”
The former Minister of State for Works did not say when the two
committees would be inaugurated.
He also said that the meeting agreed that the party should hold
its national convention on August 12, at Abuja.
He, however, stated that the convention would be
non-elective.
Adeyeye said this was because the party needed to give the
statutory 21 working days notice to the Independent National
Electoral Commission, adding that the party members also needed a
reasonable notice.
He said this would not be possible because the tenure of the
present members of the caretaker committee would expire on August
16.
It was however gathered that the convention would extend the
tenure of the caretaker committee and might also fix a date for the
national convention, where new national officers would be
elected.
He said, “We took a decision on the national convention. So, the
prolonged litigation of the national leadership tussle ended only
last week on July 12 when the Supreme Court gave judgment in favour
of the National Caretaker Committee, leaving barely one month for
the conduct of proper elective national convention.
“Taking into account the relevant statutory notice that we need
to give to INEC and the requirements of the PDP Constitution 2012
(as amended), practically, it is going to be impossible to have an
elective national convention before August 16 because we need to
give certain statutory notices to INEC.
“And our own has some special provisions that we have to meet
and there’s no time to meet up with those provisions.
“Therefore, NEC took a decision that in view of all the
circumstances, NEC invoking the powers conferred on it, decided to
convene non-elective national convention on August 12, 2017 in
Abuja.”
On the removal of state caretaker committees, Adeyeye said those
that were sacked by Sheriff, when the Court of Appeal gave a
judgment in his favour on February 17, had been directed to return
to office.
The PDP spokesman added, “All state caretaker committees and
state parallel executives, set up after the Court of Appeal
judgment of February 17, 2017 at Port Harcourt, had been removed
and replaced by the duly elected officials in the affected
states.”
Adeyeye disclosed that the meeting took a decision on
constitution amendment, which he said would affect those to be
elected at the national convention later in the year.
Meanwhile, Sheriff has said he was not invited to any of the
four meetings.
Sheriff, who was reacting to some reports that he was absent
from the caucus meeting, appealed to members of his camp not to
leave the PDP.
He said this through the former spokesmen for his National
Working Committee, Bernard Mikko, adding that he would address a
world press conference on the way forward, after studying the
Supreme Court judgment that removed him from office.
Mikko stated that Sheriff was neither in the country nor invited
to the meeting at Wadata Plaza on Monday evening.
He said, “However, he will address a world press conference on
the way forward after we have received and studied the full
judgment of the Supreme Court and analysed its import on our
democracy.
“We therefore appeal to all our loyal supporters nationwide not
to defect as we are still committed to bringing the party back to
the grass roots.
“We assure them that we will not only give them a voice, but
they will also be heard. We will collaborate with global
anti-corruption networks to bring all corrupt politicians in
Nigeria to book, including the PDP members having criminal cases
bordering on dishonesty and malfeasance.”
Punch
Read more https://nairalaw.com/sheriff-pdp-orders-makarfi-to-raise-disciplinary-panel/