PDP Sacks Adamawa State Chapter Leadership

SAN FRANCISCO, October 17, (THEWILL) – The Executive of the Adamawa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been dissolved by the National headquarters of the party.

The dissolution order was approved by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party “in exercise of Article 31, section 2(e) and 29, 2 (b) of the 2012 amended constitution of our Party and consequent on repeated breaches of the constitution by the Adamawa State Chapter,” the party said.

A Caretaker Committee has been approved to manage the affairs of the party in the state “pending further directives”, an email to THEWILL from the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh stated.

The full text of the PDP release reads: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dissolved the Adamawa State Chapter of the Party. A Caretaker Committee has also been set up to manage the affairs of the Party in the State pending further directives.

"On behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great Party, the National Working Committee hereby dissolves the Adamawa State Executive Committee of the PDP. This is in exercise of Article 31, section 2(e) and 29, 2 (b) of the 2012 amended constitution of our Party and consequent on repeated breaches of the constitution by the Adamawa State Chapter. A Caretaker Committee has been set up in its place."

Article 31(2) (e) specifically empowers the NWC thus: " where necessary, dissolve a State Executive Committee and appoint a caretaker committee to run the Party until another Executive Committee is elected , provided that the period from the dissolution to the election of the new Executive shall not to exceed 3 months."

The National Working Committee which took the decision today, October, 17th, 2012 in a meeting which also reviewed other crucial Party and national issues noted that the dissolved Adamawa Executive Committee had flagrantly disregarded and shown serial disobedience to the decisions of the NWC.

"The dissolved Exco was expressly advised by the National Working Committee (NWC)to halt further steps towards the conduct of Local Government Elections as agreed at a meeting of 9th October, 2012 between the NWC and the Adamawa State Working Committee. However, the EXCO did not only go ahead with the process, it submitted a list of candidates to the State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without the approval of the NWC. "

"This is contrary to the provisions of section 50(1) of the Constitution of the Party which among others states emphatically that the National Executive Committee which the NWC acts on behalf of in this respect, is the final authority for the formulation of guidelines and regulations for the nomination of Candidates for election into public offices at all levels and conveying same to INEC or any other authority to whom it may concern."

"The NWC also referred to complaints and petitions from principal stakeholders of the Party in Adamawa State on various unconstitutional acts of the dissolved State EXCO, especially the principle of zoning as enshrined in Article 7(3) (e) of the party constitution as well as several letters from INEC complaining of non compliance with relevant laws in the conduct of the Adamawa State Congresses."

"The NWC finally noted that all entreaties to get the Adamawa State Working Committee to rescind and, or reverse these constitutional breaches proved abortive, hence its decision. All members of the Party in Adamawa State are therefore advised to remain calm and await further directives."

Meanwhile, the NWC has constituted the Adamawa State Caretaker Committee members as follows:

Amb. Umar Damagun - Chairman - Yobe

Mr. Eli Gamaliel - Member. - Adamawa South

Barr. Dahiru Shehu. - “ - Adamawa South

Alhaji. sabo Mohammed. - “ - Adamawa Central

Mrs Grace Mamba. - “ - Adamawa Central

Capt. (Mrs) Altine Inuwa - “ - Adamawa North

Mr. Samuel Zadok - “ - Adamawa South

Alhaji. Adamu Wazirin Paka. - “ - Adamawa North

Hon. Emmanuel Tsamdu - Secretary - Adamawa North

Similarly, "the NWC exhaustively discussed and frowned at the disagreeable trend where members of the Party elected and appointed into federal positions engage in utterances and actions that portray the PDP in bad light and as having no unity of purpose."

"We wish to emphasize that our manifesto as well as our constitution is abundantly clear on the need for all Party members, especially the elected representatives of the people to be on the same page at all times in order to ease the realization of our policies and programmes for the benefit of the people. We therefore warn that the Party will invoke the full weight of its disciplinary measures on any erring member who further brings the Party to disrepute."

Chief Olisa Metuh
National Publicity Secretary.”