The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South South Zonal Secretary, elected at the Calabar Zonal Congress, George Turner, has said the National Working Committee (NWC) has no right to conduct zonal elections.
Naijaonpoint reported that the PDP National Chairman, Iliya Damagum, on Thursday, voided the 22nd February South South zone election, held in Cross Rivers State capital, Calabar, attended by Nyesom Wike.
Reacting to the PDP’s NWC action, Turner, in an interview with Arise News, noted that the NWC lacked the right to conduct zonal elections.
He argued that the Calabar Congress that produced him as secretary of the South South zone was conducted in line with the party’s constitution.
“First of all, I will say that it is not unusual for various arms or organs in an organization like the PDP to have conflicts or to disagree. The constitution is a ground norm and it defines how everybody, what role everybody is expected to play. Even Nigeria’s federation and the federating states can disagree and the court is there to resolve. Right now, it is just a conflict between the zone and the national, on who does what, with respect to the conduct of elections of officers into the Zonal Working Committee. These matters are now before a court of competent jurisdiction to determine.
“So, I won’t go into much details as to what happened and what now happened, but I know for sure that we had a Congress in Calabar following the laid down rules and regulations as provided for in our constitution. And that Congress is valid. Up to this day, there has been no challenge of that Congress or its outcome. There is none, apart from some people saying or the national saying that they didn’t conduct. They have no right in our constitution to conduct the election,” he said.
Turner further challenged the NWC’s newly-installed Chairman of the Zone, Emmanuel Ogidi, to cite PDP constitutional provision that required the NWC to conduct zonal election for it to be valid.
“Let me ask, who conducts the election for the national? The national convention. Is it not the NWC and those are the national that conduct? So, why would they conduct elections for themselves? But the constitution has said so, that elections are to be conducted at the various organs. If Chief Emma Ogidi can just direct us to one provision of the constitution that empowers the NWC or the national to conduct elections into the Working Committee of the South-South Zone. I will give up my argument and I will even give up my office,” he added.