12 PDP Governors Shun NEC Meeting

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is ready to face the All Progressives Congress (APC) squarely and resist any antics of the ruling party to suppress it. PDP leaders resolved on Friday at the 87th emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that it was time to engage the APC closely through all the legitimate means available in a democracy to ensure democratic institutions and ethos were not destroyed.

This was as 12 governors elected on the platform of the party shunned the meeting leaving only three of their colleagues, Umar Fintiri (Adamawa), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) in attendance.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the party has witnessed the destruction of democratic values, ethos and principles, consistent breach of the institutions of governance, particularly the 1999 Constitution under the present government.“We assure Nigerians that the PDP through all available constitutional means including civil disobedience will insist that this government respect the rule of law, and desist from influencing the judiciary, INEC and our security agencies.

“We will not allow the judiciary, legislature, security agencies and other institutions of government and democracy to become departments of the APC. “We reject the destruction of our democratic institutions and values especially the independence of the legislature, the politicisation of the judiciary and the compromise of our security and electoral institutions. “We note with pains the constant abuse of the rule of law, the muzzling of the civil society and advocates of free speech as well as the ordinary Nigerians.

“We totally condemn the utter desecration of judicial values, climaxing in the national embarrassment of the Supreme Court manufacturing votes and relating same to the APC and its candidate in the Imo governorship election, thereby robbing the people of the state of their mandate freely given to our candidate, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha,”he said. Speaking during the opening session, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said it was time for the PDP to mobilise Nigerians to resist the treats to the nation’s democracy by the ruling party. “Our party governed very well from 1999 up to 2015.

 As true democrats we conceded power to the opposition in the hope that it will further entrench democracy, development and unity. “But alas Nigerians have been proved wrong by the governing APC. It has become very necessary for us to mobilise Nigerians to resist the threat to our democracy, unity and development,” Atiku said. He however recommended that a committee be constituted to review the PDP performance in the 2019 elections and suggest ways to improve on future elections.