Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Tension is mounting in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over failure of the National Working Committee (NWC) to consider reports of the various committees set up to investigate alleged rebellion of its members in the National Assembly.
A highly placed party source told Daily Sun, yesterday, that some members of the NWC are warming up for a showdown with the National chairman, Uche Secondus, over the alleged abandonment of the committees reports, which was said to have been submitted to the NWC weeks back.
The source, who is also a member of the NWC, however, expressed hope that all the reports would be presented for consideration tomorrow’s NWC meeting to avert bigger crisis in the party.
However, the party has scheduled a meeting with all its members in the House of Representatives, today, in Abuja. Although the agenda for the meeting was not disclosed, Daily Sun gathered that it might not be unconnected with the rising tension over the crisis in the PDP caucus in the House.
Daily Sun gathered that there are presently three committees reports, regarding the conduct of PDP National Assembly members during the election of the presiding officers and the leadership crisis in the minority caucus of the House of Representatives, pending before the NWC.
They include the report of the Senator Iyorchia Ayu ‘s committee, which was set up by the Board of Trustees (BoT) to mediate in the minority caucus leadership crisis in the Green Chamber, the Senator Adolphus Wabara committee set up by the NWC to investigate why PDP in the National Assembly voted against the party’s choices for the position of Senate President and speaker of the House of Representatives.
The leadership crisis in House minority caucus has pitched party top shots against each other.
The Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike had recently described the Ayu committee as the most corrupt in the history of the PDP, while chairman of the BoT , Walid Jibrin and the secretary, Adolphus Wabara, a few weeks back, openly disagreed on whether or not the report of the Ayu committee has been sent to the NWC.
Prior to the inauguration of the ninth assembly, the opposition party had endorsed Ali Ndume and Umar Bago for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
However, majority of the PDP lawmakers allegedly voted against the party’s choices leading to their loss in the election of presiding officers of the ninth assembly.
Also, crisis broke out in the minority caucus of the House of Representatives after the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila named Ndudi Elumelu, Toby Okechukwu, Gideon Gwani and Segun Adekoya as minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip respectively against Kingsley Chinda, Chukwuka Onyema, Yakubu Barde, Muriano Ajibola nominated by the PDP national leadership for the minority principal officers.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Daily Sun that he was not aware that any of the committees have submitted its report on the National Assembly issues.
“There are three committees. The BoT constituted one. The National Disciplinary Committee is a statutory committee and the NEC constituted the Wabara committee. I am not aware (of mounting tension) . All I can tell you as a member of the NWC and spokesperson of the party, I am not aware that the reports have been submitted.”
When asked if Elumelu and other suspended members will be part of the today ‘s meeting, Ologbondiyan replied: “If they are on suspension, I don’t know if they will be invited to a party meeting. I don’t know if somebody is suspended in the office and you call a meeting, whether the person will attend.”
