Twenty-one party local government chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has petitioned its national chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagun, over the action of the state caretaker committee led by Senator Danjuma La’ah.
It stemmed from the just concluded ad-hoc delegates congress with the chairman, accusing the caretaker committee of wanting to rubbish the outcome.
In the petition, the local government party bosses faulted the caretaker committee chairman and the secretary, Philip Gyunka for writing a petition to the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC) directly over the conduct of the congress which they argued is an internal party affair.
The chairmen maintained that the conduct of the congress was free and fair contrary to the position of the caretaker committee.
The petitioner said in part: “Senators Danjuma and Gyunka who know that the process was very credible and meets every requirement of Wards Election only released the statement having failed to please “their associates” in manipulating the process;
“We observe that the caretaker chairman chose to address his petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a matter that si purely intra-party.
“This is curious! At the risk of restating the obvious, the power to superintendent over congresses lies with the National Secretariat of the party and NOT the state caretaker committee.
“This singular act is capable of bringing the party to disrepute in the eyes of not only the electoral body to which the petition was addressed but also the uninitiated public.
“This action of the caretaker chairman ought to be investigated and sanctioned appropriately;
“It si our view that the caretaker chairman is in no position to impugn the integrity of the officers saddled by the National Secretariat ot conduct the congress, since it is same authority that appointed both parties. “To gloss over the overriding authority of the National Secretariat and addressing a petition to INEC is an unpardonable affront that speaks volume about the true intentions of Senator Laah Danjuma and his co-travelers.”
The petitioners saluted the courage, passion, and commitment of party faithful in “our collective aspiration of reviving and re-positioning the PDP as the ‘only true political party’ in Kogi state, we urge us all to stay focused in achieving this novel and noble cause.
“We, hereby resolved that the Caretaker Committee led by Senator Laah Danjuma be dissolved with immediate effect in the overriding interest of the greater number of our party members across the state.”