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… Ibadan convention was a mere jamboree

… its outcome is laced with illegality

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Hon Teejay Yusuf has declared that the expulsion of Nyesom Wike and other prominent members of the major opposition in Nigeria has no legal effect.

Yusuf, a three term member of the House of Representatives made this declaration at the weekend while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja.

He noted hat the Ibadan convention was simply a jamboree and its inputs, outputs and outcomes are laced in illegality.

Yusuf wondered how a jamboree can produce any legal effect when from day one the purveyors swam in illegality.

Giving a vivid account on what brought the major opposition in Nigeria to its present sorry state, he said: “Let me start from the convention. I’m a lawmaker. I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a judge. However, by privilege of being in the Green Chamber for 12 years, and having ran four elections, I can in my own little way, express some opinion about legal matters.

“Little I know, there was no convention in Ibadan. It was a gathering of people to socialise, to further boost their ego, and no matter how far you travel on the wrong road you will not get to your destination.

“It is progression in error it does not lead to the right thing.I have the privilege, because I took my time before coming to a position on the matter, and I was one of those who advocated for a middle-course resolution.

“Saraki pushed the same position.The Wabara led Board of Trustees set up a committee of eminent Nigerians who came out with the same position, that don’t do convention, let us do a caretaker of four-four from both sides, eight, to midwife the affairs of the party so as to reposition the party.

“But some persons who assume that emotion and wrong narratives that is populated on the social media, lead to victory, forgetting that at the end of the day, it is facts of the matter that the court will look at. How did you get there?Let me give you some background.

“The issue of who controls the secretariat was the major reason why you had crisis in PDP. The director of organisation is Makinde’s ally, he determines who go for primaries and who does not, administratively, Sam Dadi, secretary of the party is the head of the secretariat.

“If not, all of a sudden, what we heard before was that Damagun must go, all of a sudden Sam Dadi must go, aren’t you surprised how that crisis came.

“There is nothing that signify that even the impression that there is any issue with the secretary. Then people said he went to run an election and that constitution of the party, the rules of the party says he must resign, nothing like that is in the rule of the party.We have plethora of people who have gone to run for an election.

“Current Governor of Taraba State was state chairman of PDP, he didn’t resign, he ran primary, he won.

“So when we got to that, that is when the crisis began to build.In the course of all these, you now began to see attempt by Governor Seyi Makinde especially to see how to undermine the secretary of the party.

“Then all of a sudden Southeast purported caucus said they removed Anyanwu.There is nowhere in our constitution that a caucus remove an elected National Working Committee member, there are processes.

“Yes, when PDP was in power because the president has enormous power, people can do such thing and nobody challenges it in court.

“But we are an opposition party, if we don’t go by the law, people will challenge it in court. Anyanwu challenged it in court and won.

“But a lot of gaps and what have you, misgivings have been built up because of that, camps have been built and what have you; so the PDP could not function as a cohesive political party because by the INEC rules, any letter coming from a political party must be signed by the secretary and the chairman.

” INEC now said for any correspondence from a political party must come with the secretary and the chairman’s signature.So because chairman was Makinde, Anyanwu was on this side, they could not agree.
” Then a committee was set up to broker a peace after the Supreme Court judgment.

“In fact if you remember, the Supreme Court judgment came and the lack of understanding of the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, he began to interpret Supreme Court judgment in the way he feels and he is supposed to be a lawyer.If you observed the legal adviser never said anything.

“But I have details of the legal advice that was given to the party on the need to observe and obey court judgment.So a team was set up, governors and everybody, Saraki behind the scene midwife a meeting where it was agreed that for us to move forward, it is about interest, it is not hatred towards any individual, it is about who controls what, it is about cleavages but can we come together rather than destroying ourselves.

“Okay, Anyanwu forgive us, in the area council election in the FCT, we pleaded with you to write a letter to INEC with Damangun but we went to press to deny that it wasn’t you.

” In the submission of names for Anambra we pleaded with you underground, you signed and we went to press to say it wasn’t you; so forgive us, so what do we do?Anambra, Ebonyi and Southeast caucus election were disputed and court ruling came against what National Working Committee did.

“Before you went to those conventions, there was court ruling, legal adviser advised you not to you went ahead.You did not appeal, to see the irresponsibility, you did not appeal these rulings, you now start over.

“And you went ahead to recognise those the court said, in fact, the court declare Aliyu Dauda as not being a member of PDP. You still went ahead and say those are the men that will go to do convention in Ibadan.

“After that meeting, let me put it in perspective, with Saraki and what have you, they agreed. We will go and do congresses in Ebonyi, Enugu and then Southeast.

“South South, there was a congress for South South, everybody gathered there, few days to the congress some governors wrote, no a day to the congress that they won’t be attending the congress, can you shift it?

He explained that: “There is nowhere in our constitution that says that because you are not attending a congress it must be shifted.

“It was conducted on a Saturday, National Working Committee through Damagun wrote to INEC, not with the secretary that he is postponing the congress that was held on Saturday.

“He now went ahead to set up a caretaker committee but meanwhile there was a congress that elected officials.

So at that meeting Saraki brokered a deal, everybody resolved, recognised the South South.They now pleaded, not to make it look as if we have lost all out, let us go and do a congress in Souths South still affirming those people led by Dan Orbih so as to make it look as if that it is not one side that won all through, it was agreed.But Southeast zonal congress had to be done, Ebonyi had to be done and Enugu has to be done.

“Sam Dadi signed the letter for the last NEC meeting we had on that ground.There was supposed to be a NEC before convention in Ibadan because your zoning that you did, must be affirmed by NEC before you go to Ibadan. But after that NEC meeting that was done and Ibadan for that convention, everything that was agreed on, it was thrown into the dustbin.

“So that was how the court case came.Then you now went to the press that it is Wike that wants to kill the party. Let’s agree that Wike wants to kill the party, why are you giving him ammunition. I asked a question, is Lamido Wike’s man? Lamido does not like Wike but why is he not with you on this matter?So Saraki is Wike’s boy. Is Abah Moro Wike’s boy?

“Every one of them saw the error and said no, don’t go in this trajectory. They went to court, court ruled because I hear people say the High Court flouted the Supreme Court ruling that nobody should interfere.It is very clear, the High Court said there was a judgment you flouted, if you are going for a convention, your constitution and your rule, state the procedures, so the court has a right because those who went to court said they are being disenfranchised from convention.If you don’t so Southeast zonal this thing, don’t do Ebonyi, don’t do Enugu.

“So who goes to Ibadan? So the court ruled, Justice Omotosho said that go and do so, so and so, then you can do your convention. INEC make sure they do so, so and so.

“You ignore.People are shouting, Trump come and save our democracy, they want to kill our democracy, hello, I have been in PDP by the grace of God for a long time, I have not joined any other political party, what you have during conventions are cleavages, interest; you have Unity Group, Progressive Group, what have you because people buy forms for any office.

“This convention they printed only one form for each office and gave it by hand. They are the same people who are shouting that people want to destroy democracy.

“Then National Organising Secretary of the party whose office should supervise those processes, did not know when forms were printed, did not sell any form and that’s how Lamido went there to buy form and he couldn’t get a form.

“In fact when they got to know that Lamido was coming, National Organising Secretary office was locked by the aides of those who were carrying out all these.So Lamido went to court to procure judgment and the court ruled that you are denying him his right for participation, so Ibadan will not hold.

“You now went to state high court and got, let me explain something, the judgment of Federal High Court can only come when both parties have made representations, argue your case. But you can get an injunction by you just filing. So that party has not done anything.

“Can such override a Federal High Court judgment? And again INEC is a federal institution, I have done four elections and I have gone to tribunal and Court of Appeal, so you cannot file anything against INEC or give INEC instructions from a State High Court, they know all these.But to be seen as having some judgments, so that is why I said Ibadan never was, it was a jamboree, I think ego has a way of blinding people’s reality.

“People say focus, wrong focus mostly is partial blindness. You are blind to truth and what have you.So I want people to understand that this matter, look at how it happened before we got to where we are.

“Then at the last minute, there was a meeting on a Thursday, Ibadan was on Saturday and Aba Moro, Makarfi, a lot of leaders of the party, pleaded that let’s leave Ibadan.

“What is the essence of going to Ibadan when we know that INEC will not be there, they said that no, it doesn’t mean that INEC does not come. I said what do you mean? I have ran four elections, if you want anything to be valid in court because INEC will write its report, if you see that report and you say it does not matter.I asked a question, will Seyi Makinde run election in PDP if this kind of convention produces the exco then, National Working Committee? Will he take that risk?You now want people o take that risk and you say you want to help the party.

“So deliberately you want to ground the party for selfish reasons. But you will look at the nature of Wike to now say Wike wants to kill the party. But the facts are there, who is trying to kill the party? Is that convention legal? No!

“Yes, you have a State High Court judgment but you know that if it gets to appeal it cannot stand. Do you need to subject us to this, when people pleaded and sat over night on a Thursday and said can we just use what we did in Port Harcourt 2016, we were gathered in Port Harcourt for a convention and we saw that this convention will take us into crisis, that was how we came up with the Makarfi Caretaker Committee to midwife the affairs of the party pending when we resolve this thing.That was the same proposal that was brought saying that there is no how this Ibadan convention, first of all there are those who feel disenfranchised, you didn’t sell form.

“You are journalist, are you aware of when people bought form?Normally PDP convention, those who want to aspire for chairman, the day they go to pick their form, you will see them address the press.

“The last convention that produced Anyanwu and Iyorchia Ayu, you saw them going round the states, meeting states working committee, I never saw such thing happening in this convention.

“Forms were procured and given to people secretly for a convention. So what kind of illegality is that, Yusuf wondered.