PDP NWC decides against harmonisation of State Excos; upstages Gov. Obaseki’s plot in Edo; retains Fayose’s Exco in Ekiti
The resolution by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Ekiti PDP stakeholders at a meeting held in Abuja, last Monday, has resolved some hitherto knotty party issues.
The resolutions of the meeting effectively put paid to the harmonization of Edo State PDP excos by Governor Godwin Obaseki as such anywhere countrywide was declared illegal.
ODUDUWA NEWS reports that Edo State PDP leaders have been enmeshed in a supremacy battle for control of the party structure.
Governor Obaseki defected to the party in 2020 a few weeks to the party primary election, was gifted the ticket and won the election.
He has consequent upon his inauguration been desperate to take over the structure of the party.
The original owners, leaders and members of the party under the guidance and leadership of the National Vice Chair (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih, had resisted the governor’s move.
Both parties had resorted to legal gymnastics and intercessions.
Orbih had said on several occasions that the governor must respect the Constitution of the Party, and that nobody was charged with the authority to tamper with the elected excos which were further ratified by the National Convention, the highest decision-making body of the Party.
Acting in defiance, the governor, using some of his aides, has continued to put the ratified State Exco under pressure.
The NWC resolution has now given the State Exco a big reprieve. It has been protected against Obaseki’s harmonisation threat and move.
In Ekiti for which purpose the meeting was principally held, the Fayose-imposed State Exco has also been retained by the NWC, having been ratified by the party’s National Convention.
This is regardless of the fact of a suit filed by the Senator Biodun Olujimi’s group, challenging the validity of the Congress that threw up the Exco.
The implications of this is that the January 26 governorship primary election will be decided by the State Exco, 148 Statutory delegates and three ad-hoc delegates from each ward across the sixteen local government areas.
Read below excerpts from the decision of the NWC on the Ekiti situation.
- All elected party executives in Ekiti State PDP on all levels as concluded during the Party Congresses and ratified at the just concluded National Convention must remain as such in avoidance of breach in the Party’s Constitution. Harmonization is not recognized in the PDP Constitution.
- Sharing of positions along group/faction as proposed is unreasonable and unconstitutional. (must be out of the report).
- All party faithful in Ekiti State to respect the aspiration of all that scaled through screening; however, some, including male and female, could be persuaded to drop such ambition based on some indices.
- The issue of forcefully reducing aspirants to 3 ( one per senatorial district) is not realistic as that will promote favouritism and unfairness to the aspirants and their supporters and may cause more problems for the party at the end.
- Only the National Working Committee is empowered to nominate and appoint those to come to conduct the 3 ad hoc delegates or other activities. The NWC will send a thoroughly trained and fair team to conduct all activities in Ekiti State.
- All members of our party in Ekiti State must close ranks to achieve the desired winning.
- Issue of agitation for consideration of candidate to emerge from the South Senatorial District was raised