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Ahead of the scheduled National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on November 28, which may lead to the selection of a new national chairman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan has warned that choosing a candidate from outside the north-central region would be counterproductive.
“Anything outside of this demand will end up an exercise in futility,” he stressed in a remark to North Central youths in Abuja, on Thursday.
He noted that respect for the Constitution of the party remains the only pathway to fixing the issues in PDP and pave the way to fix Nigeria.
Ologbondiyan said the pathway to fixing the PDP is by respecting the time-tested succession arrangement as provided for in Section 47 (6) of the PDP Constitution (2017 Amendment).
According to him, “leaders must look at the bigger picture and address the truth wherever it is required. We must tell those who have undertaken to either kill the PDP or render it comatose that the party is not a one-man organisation. The founders named it the Peoples Democratic Party. It is, therefore, owned by the people of Nigeria and not any individual, no matter how well placed in the society.
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He noted that the Acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Ilyasu Damagum, as well as his backers, should know that they are hurting Nigerians, they should allow PDP to be fixed so that Nigeria can also be fixed.
According to him, Damagum must not be encouraged to disrespect the soul of the party as embodied in the various organs of the PDP.
He noted that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party took a decision at its 98th meeting to consider the demand of the North Central at the 99th meeting scheduled in August this year but the proposed NEC has suffered untold postponements to the detriment of the party and Nigerians.
He said these postponements of NEC by the National Working Committee (NWC) is an aberration that shows a huge disrespect to the constitutional order of the party.
He therefore charged the leaders of the party not to allow the November 28 NEC to be wished away like the previously scheduled dates.
Ologbondiyan emphasised the need for the North Central not to relent in its rightful demand for the National Chairman of the PDP, stressing that doing otherwise would amount to brushing aside their rights in PDP.
He urged the stakeholders of the party to charge Damagum to revert to his elected position of Deputy National Chairman (North) and save the party the consequences of lawlessness in the party.
“It is trite wisdom that as long as Damagum is being encouraged to continue to sit on the position of North Central, the concept of fixing the PDP will be mere lip servicing that can cause the party more harm,” he added.
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