The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said delegates from states where the delegates list submitted to it is in contention or an order of the court, will not be allowed to vote in Saturday’s national Convention. This is as the Appeal ‘s Committee set up by the party to hear appeals of disqualified aspirants, said it received petitions against some cleared aspirants.
The Appeal Committee headed by former Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu said Senator Sam Anyanwu and Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, who have been cleared to contest the National Secretary and Deputy National Chairman (South) positions respectively, have petitions against them. “On the whole, we received about five appeals. One is in respect of the nonclearance of the Deputy National Secretary, by the aspirant himself, Hon. Akintan Kareem. “There is also a petition in respect of clearance of the Deputy National Youth Leader from Edo State for not being a party member.
One of the petitions is in respect of Usman Sani Shehu as an aspirant for National Youth Leader for forgery of certificates and age falsification. “We also received an appeal in respect of another aspirant for Youth Leader, Mohammed Usman for nonresignation of current position as a youth leader in his ward,” Ekweremadu stated.
He disclosed that the petition against Ambassador Arapaja as Deputy National Chairmanship aspirant was because he allegedly failed to resign his present position as Vice Chairman (South West). According to him, the petition against Senator Anyanwu was because: “He has taken the party to court previously, against the party’s constitution without exploring the internal mechanism of the party for complaint.” Dr Eddy Olafeso, who was already disqualified for the National Publicity Secretary position, also attracted a petition in support of his disqualification, even as he had indicated interest not to appeal against his disqualification.
Ekweremadu, however, assured that every petition will be treated in its merit, adding that the committee will “look at the document before us and possibly, we reconvene to look at the presentations and document before us and be able to drop a report which we send to the party as soon as possible.” On the delegates’ list, Chairman of the Accreditation Subcommittee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, said two states have conflicting delegate lists. The governor particularly mentioned Ekiti State where the list is still pending in court, stating the National Legal Adviser will “offer advice on it so that we will know what to do. So I don’t think we will have any issue with that.
We may likely not have conflicting delegates, but wherever we think that there is a court order, we have no choice than to exit those delegates, except for the statutory delegates who by their right and positions held in the past are not by reasons of election are supposed to be delegates.”