By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rose from a crucial meeting in Abuja with a declaration that the party (PDP) is not accountable to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Rather, the BoT of the PDP made it pointedly clear that the main opposition party, just like other registered parties in the country, are accountable only to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which is constitutionally empowered to regulate and monitor the activities of the parties.
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said this in response to the petition against the national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus by a former Commissioner for Information in Edo State and suspended PDP member, Prince Kassim Afegbia.
Speaking with newsmen after it’s meeting, the chairman of the PDP BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin said that the PDP reports directly to INEC as its regulatory body.
He said that it is expected of INEC to raise objections to PDP accounts, if there are issues, and not for the anti graft agency.
The BoT also blamed Kasim Afegbua for not following due processes of channeling his petition to the EFCC.
Senator Wallid Jibriin said, “INEC is the regulatory organ of all political parties and the PDP is inclusive.
“The PDP account has been audited by a reputable chattered firm and the report is with INEC and the body has not raised any objection on the account of the party.
“It is constitutionally wrong for EFCC to intervene on issue that it is purely of political parties and Kasim Afegbua is not following the due processes in this instant case”, he said.
Continuing, he said, “as a member of the BoT, we have provisions in the constitution of the party on how to deal with the matter of the party. Why didn’t he (Afegbia) bring the mater to the disciplinary Committee of the party?
“All members of the party should be United. That Kassim Afegbua is a PDP man, he didn’t take any step within the PDP constitution, he didn’t complain to anybody within the party. “He should follow the appropriate procedure being used in the constitution of the party. If a member has a complaint, there are things he will do, it is there in the constitution”, he declared.
On the defection of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River to the APC, the PDP BoT chairman said that it is shocking for a governor who has benefited from the PDP to behave the way, he did.
However, the BoT chairman of PDP said that the party will soon organise a mega rally in calabar to show the world who owns the state. He however not did state the date of the rally, but said, “the rally will be soon”.
