By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The Chairman and Secretary of the National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu respectively, were on Thursday accorded recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The NCWC participated fully in the consultative meeting between the commission and the leaders of all the registered political parties in the country.
The meeting took place at the conference hall, INEC headquarters in Maitama Abuja.
Mohammed and Anyanwu belong to the faction of the PDP loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, which was last Friday affirmed by a Federal High Court (FHC) sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as the legally recognized PDP national leadership.
The other faction of the PDP, led by former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr Tanimu Kabiru Turaki, SAN, and the other national officers elected at its elective national convention in Ibadan on November 15th and 16th last year, were barred by the court from parading themselves as the National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party.
At the consultative meeting between INEC and leaders of the nation’s registered political parties, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed duly introduced himself as the National Chairman of PDP, while Senator Samuel Anyanwu introduced himself as the party’s National Secretary.
Similarly, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha were similarly recognized as the National Chairman and Secretary of the Labour Party (LP) respectively.
They both introduced themselves as such at the meeting. The other faction of the Labour Party led Mr Julius Abure was however not invited.
Chairmen and Secretaries of most of the parties, including the All Progressives Congress, APC, Action Alliance, AA, and African Action Congress, AAC, where Omoyele Sowore belongs were also in attendance.
Some of the parties Chairmen and Secretaries were however represented.
While reacting to the development on Thursday, the Tanimu Turaki-led NWC of the PDP accused INEC of bias, stressing that the commission can not determine who the leadership of PDP will be.
The Turaki-led NWC pointed out that the action of the INEC which was, ordinarily, vexatious and capable of causing widespread breach of peace, will be met with all possible legal response.
A press statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, on Thursday, shortly after the meeting between INEC and the leaders of the political parties, reads, “We are aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission invited the leaders of political parties to a meeting, Thursday, and extended the invitation to some former members of our party who are purporting to lead a so-called National Caretaker Committee, to represent our party, whereas there is no such provision in our constitution.
“This action, though ordinarily vexatious and capable of causing widespread breach of peace, will be met with all possible legal response.
“Though not unexpected of this current INEC leadership, but it is expected that an impartial umpire would have taken notice of the pendency of the matters in the Court of Appeal(including the judgment which they are relying upon),which when decided, will effectively affect the subject under consideration; and exercised restraint, therefrom.
“We can assure that INEC will not choose a leadership for our party.
“Consequently, we urge all our members to remain calm and hopeful that soonest the Court of Appeal will hear and determine all the cases concerning the leadership of our party.
“We assure that the Rebirth movement of our party, under the able leadership of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN is steady and secure, and will ultimately surmount all these challenges, to present a stronger and more united party to Nigerians, as a credible alternative to the ruling party that has brought untold sorrows, tears and blood to Nigerians”, the statement by Ememobong said.
ENDS
