allAfrica.com: Nigeria: As PDP Crisis Deepens Faction Drags Ogbulafor to Court, Petitions Yar'Adua (Page 1 of 1)

Nigeria: As PDP Crisis Deepens Faction Drags Ogbulafor to Court, Petitions Yar'Adua

IN spite of the endorsement by the Chief Jim Nwobodo-led South East Action Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of the Vita Abba-led faction as the authentic executive of the party in Enugu State, the crisis which factionalised the party is far from being resolved.

The Chief Ray Nnaji-led faction of the party which is loyal to former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Enugu, praying it to make an interim order restraining Abba from parading himself as the authentic state chairman of the party.

Abba and Nnaji emerged as chairmen from the parallel congresses held in the state last February, which the Nwobodo committee waded in to reconcile the two groups with a view to harmonising the warring factions.

But the South East Action Committee had after its reconciliatory meeting with factions of the party in the zone, recommended the inauguration of the Abba executive as the authentic executive of the party in the state. Acting on the committee's recommendation, national vice chairman of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh inaugurated the state chapter alongside others in the zone.

But Nnaji, in the suit, in which he joined the national chairman of the party, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, disagreed with the recommendation and wants the court to restrain the national leadership of the party from dealing or recognizing Abba or any member of his executive, pending the determination of the suit. He also asked the court to declare as illegal all the functions so far carried out by the party executive.

In the suit No. FHC/EN/CS83/08, Nnaji insisted that he was the "authentic chairman" of the party in the state having received the certificate of return from the previous leadership of the party after a congress held in February this year in Enugu, adding that any other form of recognition by any person other than that done by the immediate past national executive of the party was unconstitutional. Although no date has been fixed for hearing of the matter, the faction yesterday petitioned President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua giving reasons why it decided to proceed to court over the matter.

In the petition entitled Why we went to Court, signed on behalf of the State Working Committee of the faction by Nnaji, it heaped their decision on the "desperation of the National Chairman Prince Vincent Ogbulafor to truncate the mandate giving to our executive on February 28, 2008 congress without due process and observance of the rule of law as the cardinal principle of your government."

He alleged that, "Immediately Ogbulafor became the national chairman of our party, he did not hide his hatred on our executives especially on my person, as the chairman because, according to him, he will never forget the role I played when we served the party together as national auditor and national secretary respectively." Insisting that the national chairman had actually tried to truncate his genuine mandate, he wrote further, "After the wrongful decision to recognize Engr. Vita Abba, we appealed to the National executive Committee (NEC) of the party through the National Secretary of the party according to the party's constitution.

"All the correspondences were sent by courier service mail and proof of evidence delivery promptly received. Unfortunately, neither acknowledgment nor any response received from the party. Instead, the Senator Jim Nwobodo that had a prepared agenda to recommend Engr. Vita Abba as the authentic chairman and his group as a matter of formality visited Enugu and finally came out as directed by the national chairman before the submission of its report to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party last week.

"According to his report, Engr. Vita Abba led executive was recognized and equally inaugurated by Mr. Olisa Metu who is wrongly parading himself as the zonal chairman of the party when no election took place on March 5, 2008 and the matters are still pending in two courts till date."

He went on, "Having considered all these actions of our national chairman who is determined to have his way at all cost, without recourse to due process and observance of the rule of law, we have no other option than to proceed to court, as the last hope of the common man, since Prince Vincent Ogbulafor had decided to use wrong means to actualize his dream of truncating my mandate, because I served the party as national auditor diligently with Presidential commendation for transparency, probity and sincerity against Prince Ogbulafor who was indicted by Chief Tony Anenih led panel in 2005."

Nnaji told the president that it was not in their character to challenge the decision of the party in court, adding however, that the latest action was informed by the fact that the "decision to recognize Vita Abba was in bad faith meant to settle personal scores by the national chairman whose failure to give us opportunity to be heard was so glaring and in bad faith.

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