From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh, Kano
The crisis rocking the Kano state leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to thicken as the Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi-led Caretaker Committee on Friday acussed the newly emerged Administrative Committee of the party led by Mahammina Bako-Lamido of anti-party activities.
Bichi who is the embattled chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee which was declared non-existence by Bako-Lamido-led faction, in a Press Statement made available to journalists in Kano, described the newly emerged factional leadership as a Committee of,,”disgruntled party members whose sole aim is to improve APC chances to win the forthcoming January 25, 2020 rerun elections in the state.”
According to him, “for the records, however, we want to remind our party members and, indeed, the general public to note that this has been the antics of this group and their sponsors.
“For instance, they took the Committee and the National Leadership of our great party to courts on four different occasions and on each of those occasions, the courts gave judgments in our favour.
“They pledged their allegiance to the state APC-led government on the eve of the 2019 general elections. It is therefore widely known that the group voted for APC against our party at both the national and state elections.”
“Based on their actions and antecedents, they were compensated for a job weldone with juicy positions by the APC government which gave them. commissionership and Managing Director slots.
” We, therefore, view their action as a deliberate attempt to scatter the chances of our great party in the forthcoming rerun elections in the state.
“We, therefore, urge all our law-abiding members to remain calm and continue to work hard with our candidates at the Local Government Areas where these elections are going to be held.”
The AUTHORITY recalls that fresh leadership crisis erupted in Kano PDP on Thursday when the Bako-Lamido-led Administrative Committee announced the dissolution of the Bichi-led Caretaker Committee, insisting that their mandate has expired.
The three-man Bako-Lamido Administrative Committee assumed leadership, warning the Bichi Committee to desist from parading themselves as the members of Kano PDP Exco.
Bako-Lamido maintained that the Bichi Committee remains dissolved as the Administrative Committee has taken over the affairs of the party, pending further directive from the National headquarters.
Lamido told journalists that the decision to dissolve the Caretaker committee was based on section 24 (2) and (3) of the party constitution (as amended) 2017.
According to him, the Caretaker committee’s three-month mandate had expired on November 2018, “and it is not renewable by virtue of section 31 (2) (e) of the constitution of the party as amended 2017.”
He said, “following the development, the remaining existing state Executive committee comprising of chairmen of the 44 local government areas of the state wrote to the National chairman, secretary and the National working committee of the party and notified them of the expiration of the Caretaker committee.
“The letter was written on 21st June 2019 and reminder letter was written on 21st August 2019 and another letter with the caption Complaint of intimidation and harassment dated December 12th was sent to the National headquarters.
“It may interest you to know that all the above correspondences were appropriately acknowledged but the letters were not replied and no action has been taken.
“In the light of the above, it has shown that the National body of our great party PDP has deliberately failed to intervene into the matter and direct for the immediate appointment of a committee to conduct election in Kano state.”
He added that the intervention of party National headquarters would have curtailed the illegitimate activities of the unlawful Caretaker committee.
He, therefore, warned the members of the disbanded Caretaker committee to desist from parading themselves as leaders of the party in the state as doing so is a clear violation of the party constitution.
