…State's New PDP Constitutes Executive Committee

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar

Wole Ayodele in Jalingoâ

The Special National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held last Saturday in Abuja, has been declared as illegal and a travesty of justice.

The convention, which was mired in controversy led to a walk out by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and seven governors on the platform of the party and the formation a splinter group named the New PDP.

The immediate past Chairman of the party in Taraba State, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Vaki, who declared the convention illegal while announcing the constitution of executives of the New PDP in the state yesterday, maintained that the inclusion of the PDP leadership in the state and other eight states where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared their emergence as unconstitutional as delegates to last Saturday’s convention had rendered the entire exercise illegal.

Vaki, who is the longest serving PDP state chairman, having occupied the office from 1999 to 2012, noted that the special convention became necessary in view of the declaration by INEC that the procedure through which the erstwhile national officers of the party emerged was unconstitutional, and warranting their resignation.

He wondered why the party refused to conduct fresh congresses in the nine states INEC declared their congresses as unconstitutional.

Pledging their support to the PDP led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Vaki revealed that the New PDP in the state had filed a suit at a Federal High Court in Lagos in which they are seeking an injunction to restrain the current executive of the PDP in Taraba State led by Hon. Victor Bala Kona from parading themselves as leaders of the party in the state.

Presenting himself as the Chairman of the New PDP, Vaki named Usman Martin, as Deputy Chairman, Ibrahim Sani as secretary and Alhaji Sule Labaran as Youth Leader while Iliya Yusuf and Hon. Ubale Yaroji, were named Public Relations Officer and Financial Secretary, respectively.