By Jimitota Onoyume, Henry Umoru, and Emman Ovuakporie

The Port-Harcourt convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was yesterday set to take the shine off the parallel convention of the party in Abuja after all 12 PDP governors and the majority of PDP National Assembly members arrived the Garden City for the convention.

However, the prospect of legal controversy overhanging the convention was being raised yesterday after the chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, CPC, Governor Nyesom Wike vowed to go ahead with the election of a new national chairman irrespective of a court order against it. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC which has also said it would observe the Port Harcourt convention had also affirmed that it would not observe the election into offices of chairman, secretary, and auditor in deference to a court order.

The acting national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who joined the party from the All Progressives Congress, APC about two years ago is seeking to be confirmed as the national chairman by the national convention, a move that has been strongly opposed by some party elders led by Prof. Jerry Gana who has some former national chairmen, former governors and National Assembly members backing him. They have in reaction pledged to hold a parallel convention in Abuja today.

However, affirming the determination of the mainstream of the party to forge ahead with the convention and the elections into a new National Executive Committee, NEC, Wike at a pre-convention press conference said:

“Assuming though not conceding that there was a court order that there should not be election for the chairmanship position, the man that you said went to court(acting National Chairman of the party)  is participating in the election. It tells you he did not file any court process. We will do the election and know the next step to take,” the governor said.

He was flanked by some fellow governors including Okezi Ikpeazu of Abia State, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, Dave Umahi, Ebonyi State and the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Godswil Akpabio. Governor Wike said the party had acted timeously against any court order challenging the convention. Governor Wike, who said the party had sought a stay of execution order against any court order challenging the election,  said they also appealed the court orders.

Continuing, he said the timeous action of the party had made it clear that it will not be disobeying any court order with its resolve to go ahead with the convention. Wike said the twelve governors on the platform of the party and other leaders of the various constitutionally recognised organs of the party were already in Port Harcourt. “Which other organs can hold a parallel convention,” he asked rhetorically.

The governor said that INEC, will be on ground to observe, stressing that the electoral body was not coming to supervise the exercise. The governor said those routing for a parallel convention were still members of the party, adding that their action was merely politics.

Senators, Reps storm PH

Members of the National Assembly elected on the platform of the party have shown their preference for the Port-Harcourt convention of the party and turned their back on the factional convention being organised by some of the party’s founding fathers in Abuja.

Several senators and House members in practical demonstration of their preference had by yesterday arrived Port-Harcourt ahead of the commencement of the convention this morning. Saturday Vanguard gathered yesterday that majority of PDP Senators had already arrived at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt where lodging has been reserved for them for the event.

Confirming the inclination of the majority of the PDP senators in a chat with Saturday Vanguard, Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi said that majority of the PDP senators were in Port Harcourt.