No fewer than 12 state governors led by Chairman of the governors forum and Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, stormed the national secretariat of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP today to protest against the dissolution of the Adamawa State chapter exco loyal to Governor Murtala Nyako.
The governors’ protest is coming even as 20 chieftains of the party have picked nomination forms to contest for the party’s Board of Trustees, [BoT] chairmanship position for which an election has been fixed for January 8, 2013.
There has been a cold war between the Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako and and the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
As a result, the PDP National Working Committee had dissolved the state chapter of the party led by Alhaji Mijijiwa Kaugama and replaced it with a caretaker committee, under the leadership of Ambassador Umar Damagun, to the displeasure of Governor Nyako .
Speaking to journalists on the issue today, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, denied that the governors came to protest but said they came to plead for Governor Nyako, adding that the national leadership of the party would recall the dissolved Adamawa state executive. “We shall be guided by the constitution of the party; the constitution is sacrosanct, it is the final authority on party matters. But we shall take into consideration the views of the governors as leaders of the party,’’ he added.
While speaking on the BoT contest, Secretary of the Board, Senator Walid Jubrin confirmed that no fewer than 20 chieftains are in the race.
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo resigned from the office as chairman last April. Though Jubrin failed to give the names of those who had applied, he however assured that the contest will be free and fair. Article 12.77 of the PDP constitution stipulates that the Chairman and Secretary of the Board can only be elected from its members who are also members of the PDP National Executive Committee.
So far, those that have been speculated to be in the race include former national chairman of the party, Dr Ahmadu Ali; former Works Minister, Chief Tony Anenih; former Senate President, Dr. Ken Nnamani and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu among others.
“Nobody is going to maneuver the system, nobody will do anything that isn’t in the interest of the party. This is an election of gentlemen,” Jubrin added.