CHIME, NWODO WAR RAGES AS PDP MEETS ASPIRANTS TODAY

Marwa protests cancellation of Adamawa congress results

FOR the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the season of intrigues has just begun as deft manipulation appears to have characterised its recent congress in Adamawa even as the party meets its two presidential aspirants, President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar today for a briefing.

Also, the crisis rocking the Enugu State chapter of the party has taken a new dimension with the group against the national chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze John Nwodo, trying to use the judiciary to remove him from office.

The wrangling in the party continues as former military administrator of Lagos State and gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the party in Adamawa State, Brig.- Gen. Buba Marwa, at a press conference in Abuja yesterday raised the  alarm about plans to nullify the results of the congress held in the state which his loyalists won.

Marwa who had written a petition to the national secretariat of the party in Abuja before the press conference, told journalists that he was shocked that the party had cancelled the results of the election of three ad hoc delegates  congress conducted in the state last Tuesday because there was no reason to do so.

'I am compelled to write this petition as a result of the unexpected and shocking cancellation of the PDP congress for the election of 3 ad hoc delegates, which held in Adamwa State on Tuesday, the 28th day of December, 2010. We reject the cancellation  entirely as there is no absolute reason to cancel an election that was successfully conducted and its result already accepted by the PDP secretariat. The cancellation is unjust and a betrayal of the entire PDP membership in Adamawa State that trooped out for the ward congress last Tuesday'', he said.

Stating the validity of the outcome of the congress, Marwa who was the immediate Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa said the PDP team that conducted the exercise followed due process by announcing their arrival in Yola for the exercise with a press conference and a visit to the governor before conducting the exercise in the 226 wards in the state. He further said that the exercise was validly conducted and the results obtained and forwarded to the national secretariat.

He further alleged that after the PDP team had submitted its results, the state governor, Murtala Nyako, and some people went and photocopied a 2007 election result which was not signed by either the chairman of the party or the secretary. He stressed that Nyako's version of the result was rejected and he vowed to have the entire exercise cancelled.  'After the governor's  submission was rejected, he spread the news that he will make sure  the election is cancelled. And that is exactly what happened last night'', he said.

He faulted the National Working Committee (NWC) for taking the action without resort to the committee that conducted he congress. He said his  campaign  organisation worked very hard and that accounted for the results recorded.

He, however, appealed to his supporters in the state to remain calm as he began a process of seeking redress.

A national officer of the party who spoke to The Guardian on  the condition of anonymity last night said that the party had already fixed a repeat congress for today in the state and  'will not reverse it.''

The source added that the party resorted to cancelling the results after getting information from independent sources including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Guardian learnt that in a matter of days, there might be a court declaration nullifying the process through which the nationalchairman of the PDP assumed office.

It was learnt that some governors on the platform of the party who are not comfortable with Nwodo's style of leadership are equally planning to join the crusade.