ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, writes on the twist and turns of PDPs national convention which held lest wednesday in Portharcourt, Rivers State.It was apparent that all was set for a contentious national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). All the parties to the convention were already on ground at the venue in Portharcourt, the Rivers State capital. From the aspirants seeking party offices and delegates who would decide their fate to security operatives and ultimately the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which was present to confer legitimacy to the exercise.But the battle of supremacy between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi over who holds the ace in the party thwarted the fanfare that was designed to herald a new leadership for the party.Ahead of the convention, two Federal High Courts sitting in Abuja and Port Harcourt presided over by Justice Okon Abang and Justice Ibrahim Watila respectively gave conflicting orders to the Police, the Department of State Security (DSS) and INEC on the conduct of the convention.Apparently based on the conflicting orders of the courts, men and officers of the Rivers State Command, acting on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, took over the Sharks Football Club Stadium, Port Harcourt, the proposed venue of the PDP convention.As early as 5:30am, the security forces, comprising mostly of men of the Nigeria Police, took over all entrances into the stadium, forcing commuters to trek long distances to get to their various destinations. Also, media houses that had already stationed their equipments in preparation for the live coverage of the much publicized the PDP convention were ordered by Police to move their equipments out of the stadium.Force Public Relations Officer, Donald Amina, who defended the action of the Rivers State Police Command, explained that the police acted as a neutral body base on conflicting court orders on the convention. Amunah, who said the directive of the Inspector General of Police was carried out based on a court order served on him on the matter, denied allegation that the police took side on the matter.Collaborating the Force spokesmans statement, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Francis Mobalaji Odesanya, said the Police sealed off Sharks Football Club Stadium, due to an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja.But for the host, Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, who is also Chairman, National Convention Planning Committee, the Nigerian Police was selective in the enforcement of court decision and had taken side in the dispute to rock the PDP. Wike, who spoke on a live television interview, disagreed with claim by the police that it acted based on court order to seal-off the Sharks Football Stadium, the proposed venue of the PDP National Convention.The governor insisted that the sealing of the stadium by the Police shows clearly that Sheriff is an agent working for certain unknown persons. He said it was unfortunate that the security vehicles used by the Police to prevent the PDP from using the Sharks Football Stadium for its national convention were bought by his administration, while the Armored Personnel Carriers used to barricade the adjourning streets were serviced by the PDP government.In an attempt to defend the Police, the -APC in Rivers State advised the PDP to blame itself and not the Nigeria Police for the sealing off of Sharks Football Club Stadium, Port Harcourt, proposed venue of its national convention. The APC, in a statement issued in Port Harcourtt by its state publicity secretary, Senibo Chris Finebone, said it believed that the intervention of the Police at the venue of the convention was to maintain law and order.The Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, while blaming the APC for the sealing of the venue for their convention also disclosed how he was stopped from attending the national convention by security operatives who blocked the gate to the old Presidential lodge in Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt where he lodged with an armoured personnel career, APC.Clearly, the party was blindfolded by the deft legal jab of Sheriff, who has since become a torn in their flesh. Nevertheless, in a bid to salvage what was left of the convention in the face of the national embarrassment, a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was immediately summoned.Determined to go ahead with the national convention, the Makarfi-led PDP changed the venue of the convention to the Multi-Purpose Hall of the partys secretariat, along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.But before relocating to the new venue, Makarfi inaugurated the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party at Government House, Port Harcourt, which he said include, the PDP Governors, National Assembly Caucus, Board of Trustees, National Caucus, 36 State PDP chairmen and national officers of the party.He said in the absence of the elected national officers, the members of the national caretaker committee will be part of NEC, adding that members of the caretaker committee cease to be NEC members once national officers are elected.Declaring the convention open, the chairman, PDP national caretaker committee, Makarfi, urged politicians to protect the countrys democracy from collapse, saying that the countrys democracy was under a threat. He advised the APC-led Federal Government to remain focused on delivering the dividends to democracy to Nigerians to alleviate the plight to the citizens, stating that the PDP national convention was fit to hold as the party was acted on the ruling of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.Highpoint of the convention was extension of the tenure of the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee by 12 months, following a was moved by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekeremadu and seconded by the former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina.Wike, who is the chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, put the question for the extension of the lifespan of the committee, and it was unanimously approved.Also, the partys Caretaker Committee was expanded to have a membership of 13 persons, as the convention further approved that no member of the current committee will contest elections whenever it is held.The convention had earlier adopted a motion moved by the Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Leo Ogor, to amend the agenda of the convention and step down the issue of election.Speaking also, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, assured the leadership of the PDP of the support of members of the party in the Senate.Akpabio said, In the Senate, we are together in one voice in support of this convention, because one of our major target is to produce an executive President on the platform of our great party come 2019.In his speech, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Leo Ogor, who stated that the convention was necessary to uphold the tenets of democracy, saying that PDP members in the National Assembly would do every thing within its reach to protect the party.Also speaking, Chairman of PDP Governors Forum and Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, said despite that efforts of some enemies of the party to stop the convention, the party will continue to march forward.Mimiko stated that Nigerians are still yearning for a stronger PDP to takeover power come 2019. In his speech, Wike stated that the PDP will always survive all obstacles because the people are still in love with the party.Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said the suffering in the country has led to the people craving for the PDP to return to power. Also speaking, former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, said that the PDP is the choice of all Nigerians because it is a democratic party.To Prince Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman of the National Caretaker Committee, the PDP remains highly united even in the face of intimidation and harassment by security forces. Addressing a post-convention press conference at Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday, Adeyeye, said members of the PDP will never submit to any evil force. He said, The Peoples Democratic Party remains highly united, we can never be intimidated, we can never be harassed and we will not submit to any evil forces.For Prof Jerry Gana, Chairman of PDP Reconciliation Committee, the next step towards achieving reconciliation in the leading opposition political party in the country will be decided by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.Gana, who is former minister of Information, expressed the hope that the PDP will bounce back and win not only the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States, but the 2019 general elections.He said, We are going ahead by the grace of God, so, I am excited that we found a way, we are moving on and the PDP will certainly mobilise, not only to wins elections next month in Edo, but also in Ondo this year but they will move on to take over government in 2019.What happened today is a very good sign for democracy; it is what happened in attempting to stop us that is not really a good sign and we want to plead with the government of the day, that nobody should do anything to truncate this democracyHowever, despite the events that led to the relocation of the venue of the PDP convention from Sharks Football Club Stadium to the partys state secretariat, Aba Road, Wike insisted that the convention was a huge success.Wike, in a statement issued immediately after the convention by his media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, said the successful hosting of the convention of the party flows from the commitment of all bona-fide members to reposition it, in the interest of the country.He noted that the calibre of members who graced the convention proves that the party has moved on after the unnecessary crisis generated by Sheriff.Wike stated that the PDP is a law abiding party, which did not struggle with the security agencies after they illegally invaded the initial venue of the national convention, pointing out that the party leaders and delegates simply moved to another location for a successful national convention.The governor berated the security agencies for refusing to obey the judgment order of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt where as parties to the suit they were directed to provide security for the national convention.
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