By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and leaders and Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, concerning the controversy over its forthcoming 100th National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting was adjourned till Thursday.
Yesterday’s meeting, which had the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, National Commissioners, four PDP Governors, party’s acting National Chairman, Amb Ilya Damagum, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Chief Ben Obi and National Organizing Secretary, Hon Bature in attendance, could not achieve much result.
The meeting, after being held for about one and half hours behind closed, door on Tuesday, was adjourned for forty-right hours to enable the PDP leaders hold wider consultation with its various stakeholders.
The acting National Chairman of PDP, who spoke with journalists for barely two minutes at the end of the meeting held at the INEC headquarters in its Zambezi crescent office, Maitama, Abuja, said that the party’s delegation will be returning to INEC for another meeting on Thursday.
He didn’t respond to questions from Journalists.
The meeting was essentially called over the forthcoming 100th NEC meeting of the PDP and the lingering dispute concerning the rightful occupant of the party’s National Secretary position.
The PDP had written to INEC inviting it to come and observe its scheduled NEC meeting on Monday June 30 this year. The letter was signed by the acting National Chairman, Amb Ilya Damagum. However, INEC in turning down the request down, observed that the letter (from PDP) ought to have been jointly signed by Chairman and Secretary of the PDP for it to deemed valid.
On the strength of this, INEC rejected the party’s notice to come and observe the 100th NEC meeting.
In his opening remarks before yesterday’s meeting went into closed door, Amb Damagum acknowledged the complexity of the issue and the need for transparent engagement with the commission.
Damagum made reference to the PDP’s legal battles and a Supreme Court ruling which involved INEC, stressing that the party had taken steps, through its recent 99th NEC meeting which mandated him (Damagum) to communicate the position to INEC.
According to him, “We are here today (yesterday) to discuss and interact with you sincerely because we had NEC and there was a decision to avoid controversy. And I have received your reply on that letter urging us to be guided by such rules,”
Damagum expressed the party’s readiness for guidance and collaboration.
In his opening comments, theINEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu, pointed out that the commission remains open to engagement with all registered political parties and reiterated the commission’s regulatory neutrality.
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