20101220
Leadership

Abuja — There is a fresh plot to disqualify former vice-president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from contesting the party's presidential primary.

A group, The PDP Stakeholders Forum, has petitioned the yet-to-be- constituted Presidential Screening Committee to disqualify Atiku, threatening to institute a legal action stopping the presidential primary if the aspirant was not disqualified.

But, the Atiku Campaign Organisation dismissed the call, saying the call should be discountenanced.

"Nobody should take them serious", the Atiku Campaign Organisation advised.

The PDP Stakeholders Forum issued a statement signed by the quartet of Dr. Udeh Obinna, Hon. Faruk Garba, Chief Osoba Fasawe and Comrade John Timipreye said insisting the screening committee must note that the future of the party in the 2011 election lay in their ability to overlook individual or sectional consideration and screen the aspirants in strict compliance with the constitution and guidelines of the party.

"Atiku's disqualification request is not only based on his membership and eligibility problems, but equally on his violation of the guidelines as listed above.

"We have complied with the party rules which holds that members must explore internal mechanism before going to court.

"We are very confident that the screening panel must disqualify Atiku in compliance with the constitution of the party and failure to do so will leave us with no option than to commence a legal action at the law court which may affect or stop the conduct of the primary election", the group warned.

The group's petition, dated December 17, 2010 and addressed to the chairman of the Presidential Aspirants Screening Committee, the national chairman of the party, President Goodluck Jonathan, the 28 governors of the party, among other stakeholders, said their action was aimed at ensuring that the party becomes an agenda setting platform.

Specifically, the group is asking the committee to disqualify Atiku over membership ineligibility, noting that the former vice-president's membership was yet to be two years as stipulated by Article 17 (20 g of the PDP Constitution.

The group further noted that the waiver granted to Atiku by the party's National Executive Committee, "was like a house without a foundation and therefore, is a nullity".

Secondly, the group said the waiver granted Atiku by the 53rd NEC of the party was in contravention of Article 8(4)a, 8(5), 8(6), Article 9(1)a, d, f, g, k, n, and o, Article 2 and, especially, Article 10(b)iii, which holds that any party member may be readmitted on the recommendation of his state chapter to the NWC.

Thirdly, the group invited the screening committee to the provisions of Article 21 (1) on its powers to punish any party member for anti-party activity, alleging that Atiku had committed anti-party activities and should be barred from contesting the primary.

The PDP, however, said last night that it was not going to join issues with any aspirant or group, noting that when the Presidential Screening Committee is constituted any aggrieved person could send petitions to the body.

Speaking on behalf of the national chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, his media aide, Mr. Ike Abonyi, told LEADERSHIP thus; "Anything the PDP will do under his leadership must be within the party's constitution. Anything not within the constitution of the party will not be accepted. The party will not dictate to the screening committee what to do. It will amount to jumping the gun".

He further explained that any aspirant that is not satisfied with the action of the screening committee is at liberty to proceed to the Appeals Committee, noting that the NWC would only intervene on the recommendation of the Appeals Committee.