PDP uncovers plan to hold parallel convention

The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party said it had uncovered plans by some elements within the party to hold a parallel national convention on December 9.
The National Publicity Secretary of the committee, Dayo Adeyeye, made this known at a news conference at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday.
Adeyeye alleged the move was a “sabotage” by some persons who had allowed themselves to be used by All Progressives Congress to cause divisions in the PDP.
He added that the attempt was totally uncalled, noting that those making such plans were dishonest members of PDP.
He said the caretaker committee had been working very hard to carry all party members and supporters along towards organising a successful convention.
He said: “We are also putting our resources in place to address all the fears earlier reported by some national chairmanship aspirants.
“One of the steps taken by the leadership is to make available and in good time, the comprehensive names of all the delegates for the national convention to all the aspirants before the convention.
“We therefore see no reason for any honest member of this great party to want to disrupt our programmes, except they are of course working for the ruling party, the APC.”
Adeyeye assured that the committee would address all concerns of members regarding the convention.
The spokesman, however, urged all party members to take advantage of the committee’s open-door policy to “ventilate their opinions, concerns and grievances”.
He pointed out that as part of subtle plans to weaken the PDP, some of its high profile members were recently arrested on “trump-up charges of corruption”.
Adeyeye particularly identified the recent arrest of a former Governor of Taraba State, Abubakar Danladi, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He recalled that the party had few weeks ago alerted that there was a list of 50 of its top leaders pencilled down for “arrest and incarceration”.
Adeyeye said: “In the last one week, Danladi and Anyim, two prominent members of our party, were arrested by the anti-graft agency, the EFCC.
“These are all part of the agenda to create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity around PDP members before and after the national convention.
“It is also part of the overall strategy of the ruling party to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.”