The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) has described the purported suspension of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, as unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.
The NWC said this in a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The State Working Committee (SWC) of PDP in Abia was, on Tuesday, reported to have suspended Mr Wabara during a meeting presided over by the State Chairman, Abraham Amah.
Mr Ologunagba said the purported suspension was not consistent with the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and the party’s laid down rules.
“For emphasis, no state working committee has the power to suspend or take any disciplinary action against a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party without due recourse to the NWC, as clearly provided for under Section 57 (7) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017)
“Section 57(7) is unambiguous in providing this.
“Notwithstanding any other provision relating to discipline, no executive committee at any level, except the national executive committee, shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the national executive committee, deputy governors or members of the National Assembly, ” he said.
Mr Ologunagba said that the explicit import of the section was that the Abia chapter had no power whatsoever to take any disciplinary action against Mr Wabara, being a member of the party’s NEC.
“The PDP, therefore, condemns the purported suspension of Sen. Wabara as reckless and unconstitutional.
“The party cautions those behind this act in defiance of the PDP Constitution to retrace their steps, as the NWC will not hesitate to take appropriate disciplinary actions to preserve the stability of our party and the sanctity of its constitution,” he said.
Mr Ologunagba also called on all PDP leaders, critical stakeholders, members and supporters in Abia, the Southeast zone and, indeed, across the country to disregard Mr Wabara’s purported suspension.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PDP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, as Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye have continued to lay claim to the position of the national secretary of the opposition party.
However, the Wabara-led BoT had, on 5 February, recognised Mr Udeh-Okoye as the PDP national secretary rather than the embattled Mr Anyanwu.
Mr Wabara, a former senate president, while reading the communique issued at the end of the BoT meeting in Abuja, said the decision followed the recommendations by the Taminu Turaki-led committee constituted by the board to study the legal disputes between Messrs Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye.
(NAN)
