Petition By Rivers State PDP Gubernatorial Aspirants, Calling For Cancellation of PDP Ward Congresses in Rivers State.

His Excellency,

Alhaji Ahmadu Adam Mu’azu

The National Chairman,

People’s Democratic Party (PDP)

Wadata House,

Wuse, Abuja.

Your Excellency,

CALL FOR THE CANCELLATION OF PDP WARD CONGRESSES IN RIVERS STATE

We, the undersigned governorship aspirants, having bought the governorship nomination forms and the expression of interest forms of our great party the PDP, and having followed the events leading up to the ward delegates elections scheduled for Saturday 1st November, 2014 state as follows:

1. That as governorship aspirants, we can see that the processes leading up to the ward delegate elections, which is the foundation of all subsequent primaries, is clearly convoluted and flawed and cannot therefore produce an acceptable outcome.

2. That the PDP in Rivers State in breach of the party constitution did not conduct open registration of party members and did not authenticate party register after the Chief G.U. Ake led Executive took away the membership registers.

3. That the PDP in Rivers State did not display party registers as a condition precedent to the ward congresses as stipulated in the party constitution.

4. That as it stands, due to the defection of officers who took party registers with them, the Rivers State PDP does not have a proper membership register and the party does not have properly constituted Ward Executive Committees in most wards.

‎5. That consequent upon (4) above, the Rivers State PDP cannot have a properly constituted Ward Congresses to elect ward delegates.

6. That we had raised these and other issues in a memorandum to the South-South Integration committee submitted by Concerned Rivers State PDP Stakeholders.

7. That it is on record that our members were assaulted by thugs of a governorship aspirant and the ugly incident was widely reported in the mass media. It is unfortunate that nothing has been done about this till date.

8. That the report of the South-South Integration Committee is yet to be made public and we do not see the basis to go into the ward congresses, without the knowledge of how the Committee’s report shall impact us.

9. That the National Working Committee of our party should abide by and implement the provisions of the PDP Constitution in its Aims and Objectives in Chapter 1 item 7.3 (C) that guarantees “Adhering to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices”.

10. That elective office in Rivers State should be zoned as has been done in Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Adamawa, and Enugu states.

11. That an unplanned visit of the National Chairman of the party to Port Harcourt was manipulated to convey some sort of endorsement of Mr. Wike even before the sale of nomination forms for the primaries.

12. To execute the plot of imposing a governorship candidate on Rivers State, membership of the Ward Congress Committee and the Appeal Panel is littered with known cronies of one of the aspirants.

13. For instance, the Secretary of the Congress Committee Mr. Chucks Akwitti works in the office of the Deputy National Chairman who is an interested party. Mr Olu Ayewoh and Mr. Lambert Opara on the Appeal panel are aides to one of the aspirants. Their membership of these panels cannot guarantee a level playing field.

PRAYERS

1. We therefore call for the immediate cancellation of the ward congresses until these grievances are addressed to avert dire consequences that could affect the fortunes of the PDP in Rivers State.

2. That the National Working Committee should order fresh registration of members of the party in order to produce authentic party membership registers for Rivers State PDP. This should be done before the ward delegate elections.

3. The PDP should abide by and implement the provisions of its Constitution in its Aims and Objectives in Chapter 1 item 7.3 (C) that guarantees “Adhering to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices.

4. The Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus should be called to order because he has indicated sufficient interest in one of the aspirants and therefore lacks the moral and political justification to preside over the process of selecting a gubernatorial candidate for the PDP in Rivers State.

Signed:

Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack Hon.

Bernard Mikko

Prof Don Baridam

Chief Barrister Dumo Lulu-Briggs

Hon. Gabriel Pidomson

Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd.)

Senator Lee Maeba

Barrister Nimi Walson-Jack

Capt Nwankwo Sunday

Hon. Oseleye Dennis Ojuka

Chief (Hon) Paweriso Samuel Horsfall

Engr. Sampson Ngerebara

Dr Silva Opusunju

Hon Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja

Prince Tonye T.J.T. Princewill