2023: Delta PDP Ward Chairmen Forum Set to dump party, Says PDP is a Scam

2023: Delta PDP Ward Chairmen Forum Set to dump party, Says PDP is a Scam

Francis Tayor

Warri______ ln respect to the shortchanged of their constitutional rights to vote in the ongoing People's Democratic Party, PDP primaries in Delta State, the Forum of Ward Chairmen of PDP across Delta State as well as the five men Working Committee has concluded plans to dump the party as a result of the deliberate disenfranchising them to partook in the selection process of candidates to represent the party in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

In a communique issued in Warri today after emmergency meeting by the Forum and signed by the 25 local government Chairmen of the party, stated that some desperate influential powerful politicians and outgoing governor's of the party has bought the conscience of the National Working Committee (NWC) members thereby compelling them to take wrong decision that will jorpardise the party in Nigeria.

The Forum alleged the same PDP used the elected party executives and the Ad-hoc delegates to conduct and vote in Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections under this new Electorial Act, why is it that the National Working Committee is given a new interpretation to the Act without judicial interpretation.

The Forum argued that the Electoral Act 2022 under section 84 (8) required elected delegates to vote in party primaries, all the elected officials of the PDP are elected for the purpose of electing Council Chairmanship, House of Assembly, House of Representative, House of Senate, Governor, President amongst others.

The Forum further alleged that Article 25 (2)(C) of the PDP Constitution empowered the Ward Executives (Chairmen, Vice  Chairmen, Secretaries, Women and Youth Leader), Ad-hoc delegates amongst others to vote for Governorship candidate of the party, stressing that Subsection 5, 6 and 7 of Article 25 of the PDP Constitution also empowered the Ward Executives mentioned above to vote for House of Assembly and National Candidates respectively.

They however noted that, since the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has chosen to dance to the tune of those powerful individuals without considering the future of the party, said PDP have lost all sense of decency and sympathy from Nigerians, adding that the entire Ward Executives of the party in Delta State have resolved to dump the party for those power mongers in order to join a party that considers grassroot participation which they believe that some opposition parties including the APC are standing a better chance to win Delta State in the 2023 general elections.

According to them, said:

" The unconstitutional decision of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to exclude the elected officials of the Party from participating in the ongoing primary elections across the Country did not only offend the provisions of the PDP Constitution 2017 (as amended) but also the Electoral Act, 2022.

Granted that the Electoral Act 2022 under section 84(8) required elected delegates to vote in party primaries, all the elected officials of the PDP are elected for the purpose of electing council chairmanship, House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governor, President amongst others. 

Article 25(2) (c) of the PDP Constitution empowered the Ward Executives (chairmen, deputy chairmen, secretaries, women and youth leaders), ad hoc delegates amongst others to vote for Governorship candidate of the Party. Subsections 5, 6 and 7 of Article 25 of the PDP Constitution also empowered the Ward Executives mentioned above to vote for house of assembly and national assembly candidates respectively.

The Ward Executives of the Party were elected by the PDP Ward Congress in accordance with Article 15 of the Party Constitution. The same section also produced the ad hoc delegates through Ward Congress. If PDP wants to use elected delegates to vote at the Party's primaries as provided by the Electoral Act, it ought to be the elected Party executives and the ad hoc delegates.

We discovered that some powerful persons in the Party, especially some of the outgoing governors who in their desperate bid to impose unpopular candidates on the people have spent billions of naira to buy the conscience of the National Executives Committee (NWC) members thereby compelling them to take decision that will bury the Party in Nigeria.

The PDP just recently used the elected Party executives and the ad hoc delegates to conduct its primaries at Ekiti and Osun States gubernatorial elections under this new Electoral Act. Why then the NWC is given a new interpretation to the Act without judicial interpretation? 

In critical analysis of the ongoing quagmires within the PDP, especially the desperation of some powerful persons to hijack the structures of the Party by all means, we the grassroot structures of the PDP in Delta State view that the party has no hope for the common man. PDP is no longer power to the people but power to the well to do.

Since the NWC has chosen to dance to the tune of these powerful individuals without considering the future of the Party, we believe that PDP has lost all sense of decency and sympathy from Nigerians. Consequently, we the Ward Executives of the Party in Delta State have resolved to dump the Party for these powermongers. We will rather join a Party that considers grassroot participation which we believe some opposition parties including the APC are standing a better chance.