The immediate past National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has said that he was forced to resign his post in order for the seven defected governors to return to the party.
Among the governors elected on the platform of the PDP that defected to the New PDP and later to the All Progressives Congress were the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso; and Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Tukur revealed that following the defection of the seven PDP governors to the APC in 2013, pressures were mounted on President Goodluck Jonathan to remove him to enable the governors return to the party.
Tukur made these revelations in a counter affidavit he filed to a suit instituted by an aspirant to the House of Representatives in Adamawa State, Aliyu Abuba Gurin, seeking to unseat the present National Chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, and also stop the party’s planned delegates convention.
In the motion on notice filed by the plaintiff, the court was asked to stop the planned national convention of the PDP scheduled for December 10 and 11, 2014.
The plaintiff in the suit also contended that the resignation of Tukur did not comply with the provisions of Section 47(5) of the constitution of the party, which stipulates that 30 days notice be given to the National Executive Committee by Tukur.
The defendants in the suit are the PDP, Tukur, Mu’azu and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Responding further, Tukur submitted that he had stepped aside as the chairman of the party for the defected governors to return, but his surprise, 10 months after, the governors are yet to return.
He further stated that in such a situation, since he could not finish his four-year tenure as the chairman of the party, he was to hand over to the deputy national chairman as acting chairman in line with constitution of the party pending the holding of a national convention to elect a new national chairman.
Tukur further stated that the National Executive Committee of the party has no power to appoint the national chairman, adding that the votes and proceedings of NEC held at Wadata House on January 15 and 20, which deliberated on his resignation as national chairman and appointment of Mu’azu as chairman, are a nullity.
He added that even if he had submitted a letter of resignation on January 15 to the party, the letter did not comply with Section 47(5) of the party’s constitution, which requires that 30 days prior notice should be given.
Furthermore, Tukur stated that the subsequent presentation of Mu’azu to NEC as the new chairman for appointment did not comply with Section 47(6) of the party’s constitution, Section 85(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010 and Section 223(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Also, he stated that as at the time of appointment of Mu’azu as the national chairman of the party, no vacancy existed in the office of the national chairman.
He further stated that the Mu’azu lacks the power to preside over the planned convention and as such will nullify the proceedings of the convention if allowed to do so.
He however submitted that it will be in the interest of all parties if status quo ante bellum is maintained, pending the election of a new chairman by the national convention.
In its own response to the suit, the PDP through its legal adviser, Kwon Victor, asked the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that the plaintiff lacks the right to institute such suit.
Victor added that the plaintiff in the suit did not indicate any injury he has suffered or would suffer by reason of which the suit was brought.
Kwon also stated that the plaintiff has not pursued or exhaust the domestic or internal remedies available within the constitution of the party prior to the institution of the suit.
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