The non-elective National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold today (Saturday) without any legal encumbrances because courts have refused to grant any injunction aimed at achieving such negative purposes.
The party made the disclosure just as it was made known that the event today has been scheduled to be a “unity convention ” with adequate preparations made to provide carnival like atmosphere for all the members of the party who will be in attendance.
Already, over 3000 delegates have been carefully chosen to participate officially in the convention while unknown numbers are to make their way to Abuja to participate in the “family reunion”.
Prince Dayo Adeyeye, National Publicity Secretary of the party who doubles as the Chairman, Publicity Sub-committee of the National Convention made the disclosures Friday at the pre-convention press briefing.
Adeyeye also disclosed that the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will monitor today’s convention.
Speaking on the expectations at the convention, Adeyeye disclosed that information available to the party showed that some people tried to obtain court order to stop the convention but failed because the court declined to grant them the order.
Though he refused to provide further information regarding the identity of the persons involved.
”Since the plan failed, there is no need speaking further on this. What we have to say is that there is no legal encumbrances stopping the convention.
”The convention is going to hold legally and constitutionally.”
But a credible source in the party however, disclosed that the attempt to stop the convention came from the South West PDP.
He, however, disclosed that quite a number of the delegates as well as convention planning members were chosen from the group of party members who showed loyalty to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff while the crisis of leadership that rocked the party lasted.
He assured that the convention today will bring all members of the party together, to celebrate the resurgence of the party.
He said there would have been nothing left of the party if the ruling had gone the other way, an apparent reference to the then Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the party.
“It will be a carnival-like convention, the like of which we have never seen before.
“This unity convention is going to be a celebration for the PDP. I can tell you that if the decision of the Supreme Court had gone the other way, there would have been no PDP today,” he said.
The party also took swipes at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) just as it called on Nigerians to be vigilant, lest they fall for the “propaganda” of the ruling APC.
While enumerating some of the giant strides of the PDP in the course of its 16 years in power, Adeyeye said the onus is now on Nigerians to decide which of the political parties mean well for them and the country.
“Nigerians remember with nostalgia life under the PDP and they are yearning for it to come back.
“I challenge anybody to deny that the achievements of this great party are comparable to any other in Nigeria.
“We bequeathed the largest economy in Africa to the APC but they squandered it within six months to one year,” he stated, describing the two years administration of President Muhammadu Buhari “as the worst era in the history of Nigeria.”
Not done, Adeyeye also chided the current administration in the fight against corruption describing same as “a witch-hunting of the opposition.”
He also faulted the government on what he considered as media trial of former Petroleum Minister, Alison Dieziani saying what is happening is wild allegation, just as he challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to go to court if it has any case against her.
“This is not the way to prosecute anti-war, go to court if you have any charge against her. It is only the court that can pronounce her guilty.
He faulted the anti-corruption stance of the APC government further saying it’s skewed in favour of the members of the ruling party.
“The only thing you need to do today is to cross over to the APC and all your sins would be forgiven. All APC members are saints and others are sinners,” he noted.
He insisted that the entire anti-corruption crusade is a ruse considering the weight of allegations against the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu.
On the purported decimation of the Boko Haram insurgency by the current administration, Adeyeye urged Nigerians not to forget that prior to the 2015 elections, the PDP government under President Goodluck Jonathan “held elections in every local government area in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States” the base of the terrorist sect; a feat he said is not possible today considering the menace of the sect in the last couple of months.
PDP regretted that the APC squandered a lot of goodwill given to it by Nigerians in 2015, and blamed the resurgence of Boko Haram in the country after the PDP, on the failure of the party to continue with the insurgency fight after it took over power.
He also noted that the anti-corruption war in general is a ruse saying the government has been lying to Nigerians especially as it relates to recovered funds.
“If you say you recovered $150 billion, why is Nigeria in recession? What are you doing with recovered loot? he said.
