•As NWC moves to unseat PDP national chair

FROM TAIWO AMODU AND PAULINUS AIDOGHIE, ABUJA

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has said that  only the national convention of the party could remove him from office.

He said until that takes place, no one, not even President Goodluck Jonathan can remove him, even as members of the National Working Committee (NWC) may have sealed his fate. Only two out of 12 members attended a meeting he summoned yesterday.

The party chairman also dismissed the allegation that he had been asked to resign by the President, accusing the opposition of planting the story to create disharmony in the party.
Tukur, in a statement, dismissed insinuation in the media that President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the leader of the party, had instructed him to turn in his letter of resignation.

“I am an elected National Chairman, I have my Certificate of Return, I cannot resign. The convention brought me, so it has to take the convention that brought me for me to resign. Remember, some members of the NWC were asked to go recently because the election that brought them was flawed. So,  Mr. President cannot go  through  that route again.”

He further insisted  that there was no basis for him to resign” as no one has successfully proved any allegation of wrongdoing against me”.

Meanwhile, Daily Sun source revealed that only two  members out of the substantive 12 NWC members turned up at the emergency meeting. Besides  Tukur,  Bolaji Anani and Prof.  Wale Oladipo, National Financial  Secretary  and National Secretary respectively, turned up for the meeting. By implication, the NWC could not draw up an agenda for NEC meeting fixed for Thursday as they could not form a quorum It is most likely Tukur may go on that day..

The source further revealed that the other nine NWC members have vowed not to have anything to do with Tukur until after Thursday’s meeting.  The national chairman may be asked to vacate his position by NEC on Thursday.

Further checks revealed that the aggrieved NWC members were bitter that after the stormy last Thursday’s meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan where they accused him of running a one- man show at Wadata Plaza without recourse to the entire national officers, Tukur still went ahead to meet with some  deputy national officers with  the intention to instigate them against the rest of  substantive national officers of the party.

A member of the NWC who pleaded not to be named, told  Daily Sun, “he hasn’t shown  remorse for alleging that a certain South-South governor had induced us  financially,  with millions of dollars to unseat him. His recent antics of holding clandestine meeting with deputy national officers without our knowledge was to polarise the NWC the  more.

“What does he want to achieve with the gang-up? Why call us for an emergency meeting today (Monday)  after his weekend meeting with our deputies?
Let the NEC decides his fate; if Mr. President  wants to retain a man like that as national chairman in an election year, good luck to the party,” the source said.

The other members of NWC who boycotted yesterday’s meeting were Deputy National Chairman,Prince Uche Secondus, National Treasurer, Alhaji Buhari Bala;National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, National Organizing Secretary, Alhaji  Abubakar Mustapha. Others were National Legal Adviser,  Victor Kwon; National Woman Leader,  Mrs. Kema Chikwe, National Youth leader, Alhaji Abdullahi Maibasira; National Auditor, Alhaji Adewale Adeyanju and deputy National Secretary, Solomon Onwe.

It was also revealed that the Senate caucus has also conveyed its position to Tukur to tender his resignation letter ahead of Thursday’s meeting.
A certain South-South governor and member of national caucus of the party has also succeeded  in convincing his other five colleagues who are also members of the national caucus to withdraw their support for Tukur ahead of the meeting of that organ of the party.

But while the Presidency may throw in the towel in its defence of the besieged Tukur, it was yet to contemplate shopping nominees for his replacement.
Further checks by Daily Sun revealed that by  virtue of the PDP 2012 Constitution (As amended), Tukur’s replacement will come from his  North-East. Tukur is from Adamawa State .

Section 45 (1) (2) of the constitution, (as amended) reads:”If a national officer of the party is removed or resigns from office, he shall immediately hand over to the national secretary all records, files and other properties of the party in his or her posession;
“In the case of the National Chairman, he shall hand over to the Deputy National Chairman who shall, without prejudice to Section 45(6) of this Constitution, act as the National Chairman pending the election of a replacement.”

Section 47 (6) of same constitution mandates the party to shop for replacement from the geo-political zone of any officer who resigns from his position or was forced to vacate his position.
The section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the executive committee  at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from, pending the conduct of election to fill the vacancy.”



Source: Sun