No Tukur is – Metuh
Former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Bawu Baraji on Monday stated that he is now the authentic national chairman of the party.
Baraji was one of the members of PDP that left the Special National Convention of the party that held on Saturday to form a factional PDP.
Speaking on telephone on Monday, he said that he is the authentic national chairman of the PDP for now.
He said his faction was consolidating and by middle of the week, it would role out its plans.
But swiftly, the National Publicity Secretary of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur led National Working Committee, Chief Olisa Metuh said Tukur remains the national chairman of the party.
Metuh, who briefed the PDP correspondents after the NWC meeting of the party, said consultations on the behavior of some the members at the national convention of the party is being held at the highest level.
According to Metuh, the consultations which is going on at the highest level of the party, involves the President, Vice President, Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker and national leadership of the party.
He said after the consultations within the week, the party would be able to take its decision on those that walked out of the Convention of the party.
At the Convention on Saturday, governors of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko, Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwanso and Kwara State, Ahmed Abdulfatah and their delegates had worked out of the convention ground.
They were also joined by some of the PDP national leaders like former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku, former Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, former national secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
The PDP members formed a parallel national leadership with Abubakar Baraje as the interim national chairman.
However, Metuh dismissed the parallel PDP executive stating that the party is one and with one executive.
Metuh, who took questions from journalists, also stated that the NWC did not comment on the crises in Anambra and Taraba states and the South West Zone.
He said, South West zone, Anambra and Taraba issues did not come up at the NWC meeting.
He asked for more time to find out from the national chairman why Sam Sam Jaja was not allowed to contest the position of the Deputy National Chairman..
“Because of my campaign I did not follow other people’s campaign but I promise to find out in the next 24 hours on what happened to Dr. Jaja”.
Explaining why the acting national secretary, Aderemi Akintoye is still a member of NWC, Metuh said “Do we have substantive secretary from the south west, my answer is no, is there a protest from the south west?, Is there an order saying he should not sit, there is no petition, no protest, no representation from the south west and there is no court order from the south west, why the acting national secretary who have been validly appointed from the south west, and there was no election that was held”.
