PDP, Anenih reconcile

• Court voids convention
• Party insists on August 17 exercise

As part of efforts to secure the support of its aggrieved members, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reconciled with a former chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih.

But while the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang has invalidated the purported convention of the PDP held in Port Harcourt on May 20, 2016, the Makarfi-led faction is to hold a fresh exercise on August 17.

Specifically, PDP, under the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, purged Anenih of any wrongdoing and all accusations of anti-party activities.

A frosty relationship had developed between Anenih and the National Working Committee (NWC) that was ousted by the national convention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in May this year.

The disagreement degenerated when the NWC wrote Anenih, summoning him to appear before it over some allegations. Anenih, it was learnt, was irked by the action of the NWC and this was said to have put a wedge between him and the then President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Apart from the fact that the defunct NWC in the letter signed by the former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo accused Anenih of anti-party activities in Imo during the 2015 presidential and state elections, he was given barely 24 hours to appear before the committee.

According to Anenih, the former NWC, “propelled by an ulterior motive, failed to accord respect to my person and office as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees” by what he described as “vicious and mischievous letter.” Anenih swiftly relinquished his position as chairman of the (BoT).

However, the quarrel seemed to have been resolved having met and discussed with the National Working Committee.

A letter to Anenih, endorsed by the Secretary, Senator Ben Obi, confirmed the reconciliation.

“Having heard from you, and made some consultations, the caretaker committee has reviewed the whole episode and decided to withdraw the said letter from and by the defunct National Working Committee,” the committee said in the letter dated July 22, 2016.

The caretaker committee commended him “for remaining steadfast as a leader of the party and a foundation member of the Board of Trustees despite the discomfort the said letter may have caused. We respectfully urge you to consider whatever discomfort caused by this issue as part of your continuing sacrifice towards building our great party, the PDP.”

Already, Anenih has acknowledged with satisfaction steps taken by the leadership of the PDP to correct the injustice meted out to him.

In a letter to the NWC, Anenih said: “I am glad that your (PDP) leadership has now been able to redress the issue more than a year after.”
He expressed confidence that the process that the committee has embarked upon to reposition the party would lead to positive results, “one of which is our expected God-given and people-sanctioned victory in the September 10, 2016 gubernatorial election in Edo State.”

Last week, the former BoT chair kicked against the alleged plan by the National Assembly to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

Besides, he charged the Makarfi-led caretaker committee to discourage the PDP caucus in the National Assembly from getting involved in what he described as “ill-advised adventure” to remove Buhari from office.

Anenih said that as an opposition, the expectation should be constructive criticism of the ruling party when it goes wrong, stressing that playing an active role in the internal power struggles between factions of the ruling APC was an unnecessary distraction and an exercise that appeared to promote personal agenda rather than national interest.

“I am not unaware that the times are hard; that Nigerians are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries and astronomical increases in the cost of living, that ballooning security problems are increasingly threatening to rip apart the fabric of our national existence, and that Nigerians feel more divided today than they have ever felt, but it would be unfair to blame this President or this government for all of these problems,” he stated.

The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the purported convention of the PDP held in Port Harcourt on May 20, 2016 was in violation of two orders of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court which barred the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from holding the event.

The court, in its ruling, barred the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee from henceforth exercising any authority or taking any decision on behalf of the PDP.

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who is a former governor of Borno State, has been challenging his removal from the chairmanship seat and has insisted that he is the legitimate leader of the PDP.

Justice Abang gave the ruling while determining the rightful counsel to represent the PDP in the matter before him. The judge declared that the Makarfi-led faction appointing Ferdinand Obi (SAN) as counsel for PDP was illegal and unlawful.

The judge therefore, set aside the legal representation on the ground that Makarfi has no law to his side to appoint a lawyer for PDP or carry out any act on behalf of the party.

Justice Abang therefore, upheld the legal representation of Olagoke Fakunle (SAN) as the lawfully appointed counsel to represent PDP by the Ali Modu Sheriff-led committee.

Justice Abang took a swipe at the Makarfi-led group for ‘missing their way’ to Port Harcourt to obtain a judgement from a division of a Federal High Court which is a court of coordinate jurisdiction to the Lagos Division.

The court declared that the judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court, which recognised the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was unlawful, illegal and has no standing foundation in law.

The court further held that until the setting aside of orders made by the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court which restrained PDP from holding convention at the time, anything done in contravention of the two subsisting orders is unlawful, illegal and should not be recognized.

“Makarfi-led caretaker committee as an apostle of impunity kiss their way to Port Harcourt to get judgement, that judgement cannot stand.

“The Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High court cannot make an order to neutralise the effectiveness and potency of orders of Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.

“As at the time the Markarfi-led committee found their way to the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court, the orders of the Lagos Division of the court were still subsisting.

“The Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High court therefore, has no business to have dabbled in the issues of PDP leadership in the light of the subsisting orders issued in Lagos by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“Let me make it clear that the Supreme Court has made it clear in a situation like this, something cannot be built on nothing and in the instance case, I have no liver to depart from the Supreme Court decision.”

Justice Abang admonished politicians to refrain from causing disaffection among judges of the Federal High Court. “The culture of impunity must stop in this country. We have come of age and we should do things in line with the law,” Justice Abang said.