■ Says BoT should administer party

From: Taiwo Amodu, Abuja

THE Concerned PDP Stakeholders last night reacted to the composition of the caretaker committee to administer the national secretariat of the erst­while ruling party. The party at the end of its national convention at the weekend in Porthacourt dissolved the national working committee, led by former Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and constituted a caretaker committee with former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and Senator Ben Obi as chairman and secretary.

But addressing newsmen in Abuja, former deputy senate president, Sen­ator Ibrahim Mantu who emerged as co- chairman of steering committee of the splinter group, Concerned PDP Stakeholders, rejected the creation of caretaker committee and further noted that such a move was an infraction on the party constitution. While he expressed satisfaction over the decision to stay action on the election of national officers, Senator Mantu claimed that only the Board of Trustees could administer the party in the absence of a duly constituted national working committee.

He said:” After watching events at Porthacourt convention, it is neces­sary for us to react to some of the things we saw there.

“First, and foremost, we want to thank our members throughout the na­tion for giving us support that has actually led us to achieve some of the goals we have set for ourselves. “We were opposed to the zoning and in­deed the zoning has been cancelled or set aside. “We were also opposed to the convention taking place and the convention did not take place, courtesy of the court. “Again, we were opposed to the way the congresses have been conducted that they fell short of our expectations. “Now these congresses and conventions have been set aside, “This group can confidently say that we have achieved all the targets we set to achieve. “On the creation of caretaker committees. there is a body that is constitutionally mandated to take over the affairs of the party and that body is the conscience of the party called, Board of Trustees, (BoT).

“At this point in time, the only legal organ or body constitutionally em­powered to actually takeover the affairs of the party is the BOT.”

In his remarks, former Minister of Special Duties and chairman, former PDP Ministers Forum, Taminu Turaki expressed reservation over the deci­sions reached in Porthacourt, as he claimed that it would aggravate the lead­ership crisis facing the party. Turaki said:” We have sat down and reviewed the happenings in Porthacourt very carefully and the decisions that came out have clearly vindicated our positions which is based on principles.

“We had taken a position that things were done wrongly and unconsti­tutionally. Things have been done without due regards to processes and procedures.