By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is to commence the revalidation of all its members across the country next month, raising fears of another round of infighting by power blocs within the party.

The revalidation of membership is to prepare the party for the forthcoming national convention scheduled for  February 2012.

Also as part of the preparations, the party has laid down procedures for the constitution of congress committees to guide the selection of new officers for the party at all levels.

The last time the party conducted a revalidation exercise between 2005 and 2006, prominent party members, who were at that time estranged from the mainstream of the party under the leadership of Col. Ahmadu Ali (rtd.), were denied registration. Among those denied who found it difficult revalidating their membership at that time were former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and erstwhile party national secretary, Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo who subsequently became party chairman among many others.

A memo from the Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje giving notice of the revalidation exercise said it would commence on September 1, 2011 and would be coordinated by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Prince Uche Secondus.

The revalidation exercise would run for 30 days ending on the last day of September.
The memo disclosed that the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC has already approved the exercise which it claimed was in line with Article 10 (a) of the party’s constitution.
According to the schedule of activities leading to the convention, the party would on December 5, 2011 notify the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC of its forthcoming Ward, local government, State and Zonal congresses in line with Section 85 of the Electoral Act which stipulates that a political party shall give the commission a 21 day notification before its schedule of congresses and convention.

Vanguard also gathered that as part of preparations for the Congresses and National Convention where new National Working Committee, NWC would be elected that the party will be the setting up five-man Congress Committees for the Ward, Local government, State and Zonal Congresses, even as there will be a three-man appeal committee for ward, local government, State and Zonal Congresses.

According to the memo, objections and complaints from the registration and revalidation would be between October 1 and 14th while appeals from the Ward Congresses which would hold Saturday January 7, 2012 will be 9-11 January 2012, just as appeals for the Local Government Congresses slated for Saturday 14, January, 2012 would be between 16 and 18 January, 2012.

Appeals to the State congresses according to the memo will be between 23rd and 25 January, 2012, while appeals for the Zonal Congresses will be from 6th to 8th February 2012, just as there are no provisions for appeals for the National Convention.