By Dapo Akinrefon & Dirisu Yakubu

ABUJA—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was yesterday headed for a fresh crisis, following the emergence of a splinter group, christened “Concerned Candidates and Stakeholders of PDP, who disavowed the penultimate weekend’s national convention and the leadership that it produced.

The group consisting of mainly associates of Prof. Tunde Adeniran, who took second in the national chairmanship contest at the convention, dissociated itself from the process that led to the emergence of the Prince Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee, saying the group would produce a parallel leadership immediately after the forthcoming yuletide break.

PDP

Meanwhile, member of the Board of Trustees, BoT of the party, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, was quick to dissociate himself and Chief Bode George who he supported during the penultimate weekend’s national convention from the group.

The actions of the group were immediately decried by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondinyan, who claimed ignorance of the group, even as he said the party remained united under the national chairman, Prince Secondus.

“The PDP under the Prince Uche Secondus-led national leadership will continue to focus on repositioning our great party to be the formidable opposition that will guarantee checks and balances in our polity and ultimately regain power in 2019,” Ologbondinyan said.

Briefing newsmen at the group’s secretariat located at Tito Broz Street, Asokoro, the director general of the group, Emmanuel Nwosu, said the process leading to the emergence of the Secondus-led National Working Committee, NWC, was fraught with illegality and abuse of electoral process.

Nwosu, who was flanked by Chief Olukayode Akindele, Deputy Director General of the Professor Tunde Adeniran Campaign Organisation and some other candidates who lost out at the convention, flayed the defunct National Caretaker Committee who he accused of working hand-in- glove with the Convention Planning Committee to birth the current NWC.

“You are all aware that we held our national convention on the 9th and 10th of December, 2017 at the Eagle Square in Abuja. It was supposed to be an elective convention where a new NWC of the party will be elected. Most tragically, there was no election on that day but a selection of predetermined persons who were eventually announced as the new NWC members.

“As concerned candidates and stakeholders of our great party, we deem this perfidy that took place at Eagles Square, a charade orchestrated by the former National Caretaker Committee of our great party led by the former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.” and perfected by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led National Convention Planning Committee,” Nwosu said.

Advancing reasons for its rejection of the Convention outcome, the group accused the Makarfi-led committee of deliberate refusal “To release the delegates list as was agreed upon by all aspirants until barely 24 hours to the convention which is contrary to our party constitution. This is a complete aberration as it made it impossible for aspirants to cross check the authenticity of the list and also have some time to interact with the delegates before the date of the convention.”

The dissenters further noted that, “The entire process of selecting the purported NWC was concluded days before the convention and a list of those selected was published; which eventually was circulated at the Eagle square long before voting commenced.”

While condemning the manner the convention was conducted, the group insisted that “Evidence is available to show that some names in the fraudulent Unity List collected nomination forms after the official closing date and some others were not even screened as required by the electoral guidelines.”

The group called on members of the party to cease forthwith, any correspondence with the “Illegal NWC selected through the most undemocratic way ever witnessed in the history of our party.”

Expressing its determination to sweep the polls in 2019, the group said as soon as the holidays are over, it would inaugurate the “Authentic NWC” in addition to the commencement of the computerization of party activities and financial transactions.

Reacting yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ologbodiyan said:

“The PDP is completely unperturbed by the comical act of some individuals who make outlandish claims in the media regarding our party.

“The fact is that we are happy with the efforts of the Governor Seriake Dickson-led Reconciliation Committee as well as the responses from all the respectable and responsible leaders of our party in that regard.

“We will however not be responsible or respond to any person or groups of individuals who decide to allow themselves to be used by forces from another political party in a laughable and childish attempt to distract us,” he said.

Meanwhile, member of the Board of Trustees, BoT of the party, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, was quick to dissociate himself and Chief Bode George who he supported during the penultimate weekend’s national convention from the group.

Prof. Tunde Adeniran who took second in the national chairmanship contest and whose allies were at the press conference where the splinter group unveiled itself also disclaimed the group.

Babatope, a PDP stalwart, said: “I am not a supporter of the group, I am a PDP member. We are in a reconciliatory period; I do not belong to any other party than the PDP.”

When asked whether Chief Olabode George was with him on the same page, he said: “Chief Bode George is fully with the PDP.”

Adeniran speaking through the Director General of his Campaign Organisation, Shehu Garban, Adeniran said those with genuine grievances were free to express same but warned that such   should not be linked to him.

While admitting to having reservations about the conduct of the convention, he said he has submitted himself to the internal dispute resolution mechanism of the party which he stressed were being looked into by the Seriake Dickson-led Post Convention Reconciliation Committee.

On the presence of a member of his campaign team in the aggrieved group, the Professor of Political Science said, “The group does not and will not represent me.”