PDP Special National Convention: No election for National Secretary – Gana

Prof. Jerry Gana, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Special National Convention, said on Thursday that the office of the National Secretary of the party would not be contested for at the August 31 convention.
Gana stated this at a news conference in Abuja, adding that those who purchased forms to contest for the position, would be refunded their money by the party’s headquarters.
Gana said the decision to suspend election into the position was taken because of the pending court case instituted against the party by the party’s former National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Oyinlola had gone to an Osogbo, Osun State High Court to challenge his removal from office by a Federal High Court.
The aspirants who had purchased forms to contest the position at the cost of N500,000 included Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Chief Ebenezer Babatope and Dapo Sarunmi among others.
Gana said: “For the avoidance of doubt, election into the office of the party’s national secretary has been deferred until the final determination of a subsisting court case on this matter.
“As soon as the case is concluded, appropriate decisions will be taken in accordance with the directives of the court judgment when delivered.”
He said that PDP was determined to ensure “constitutional democracy, good governance, social justice, peace and security for Nigerians”.
Gana further said that the screening of aspirants for the special convention earlier slated for August 28, was postponed to August 30 to give aspirants enough time to prepare to appear for the exercise.
He gave the assurance that all aspirants would be given fair treatment.
Gana added that the appeal panel, headed by Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, would be on ground to attend to those who would want to appeal after the screening.
Other members of the appeal panel, according to him, include Chief Richard Akinjide and Alhaji Dalhatu Tafida.
Also speaking, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, the Deputy Chairman of the convention committee, said most of the positions were not contestable because the positions had only one candidate who would be returned unopposed.
Contributing, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Secretary of the committee, said that zoning of the position of the National Publicity Secretary to the South-East would stand.
Ekweremadu said: “This is a democracy.
“Everybody is eligible to run for the position of national publicity secretary and in PDP we zoned positions to the six geopolitical zones.
“We believe that the aspirants would respect it.”