By Myke Uzendu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the ward congress conducted by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday was a nullity and a scam in the face of the pronouncement of the Supreme Court, which invalidates its national executives.
The PDP stated that Governor Buni and other APC leaders deceived and cajoled innocent Nigerians into participating in a fruitless exercise, which ended in violence and avoidable deaths, when they know that it was all in nullity.
The opposition party in a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday, described as callous the ward congressed conducted by the leaders of the APC, despite knowing that any process conducted by the Buni-led national executive, whose legal status, in the face of section 183 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 17(4) of the APC constitution, has been queried by the Supreme Court but extorted their innocent followers and subjected them to a fraudulent exercise.
“While Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) bars a sitting governor from holding any other office while serving as state governor, Article 17(4) of the APC constitution clearly states that “no officer in any organ of the party shall hold executive position office in government concurrently”.
“The implication is that with Mai Buni as Chairman, the APC has no valid national executive and as such any congress or any other statutory process conducted by the APC under this circumstance remains a nullity”
The PDP cautioned members of the ruling party who were being pushed into participating in the local government and state congresses to be circumspect so that they do not suffer needless loss and harm in an exercise that is certainly going to end in futility.
“The situation in the APC is symptomatic of the disgraceful end of a political contraption that was set up and operated on the basis of lies, deceit, falsehood, violence, and disrespect for Nigerians and utter disregard to rules.
“That is why the APC, as a party, as well as its government at all levels are plagued by crisis, confusion and endless bloodletting” PDP said.
The PDP reminded Nigerians that the APC has put itself in a situation where it cannot legally stand for election or statutorily participate in any national electoral process.
