By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
Ahead of the November 15 and 16 this year’s elective national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, delegates have been concretely assured of their safety before, during and after the convention.
The Deputy Chairman of the sub-committee, Senator Austin Akobundu, gave the assurance while speaking at the inaugural meeting of the committee in Abuja on Wednesday.
Akobundu, a former National Organizing Secretary of the party and retired military officer, vowed that it (the committee) will provide perimeter security at the convention, in addition to gathering intelligence, in collaboration with the security agencies, to ensure a hitch-free convention.
The convention, he promised, would be “devoid of incursions from undesirable elements that will like to physically truncate the exercise.”
Akobundu represented the Chairman of the committee and Taraba State governor, Agbu Kefas, also a retired Army lieutenant colonel at the event.
Akobundu revealed that the committee comprises retired officers of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies, adding that the committee, would in due time, identify and harvest “special skills” of members to “do specific jobs while we are dividing ourselves into groups for effective management of the layer of security we are going to create.”
He encouraged those with a security background to make their services available to the committee’s secretariat, “so that we create a list of those that will do very specific jobs.”
Senator Akobundu however said that there is nothing much that could be done until committee members embark on tour the facilities at the venue of the convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to him,
“That is why it is important to also get those with requisite knowledge who has done this job before and who are also in tune with the current security dynamics.
“They will help us a lot. In the past we worked with a very professional police officer, the late IG (Solomon) Arase who was a very sound professional police officer,” he stated.
A minute silence was later observed for the repose of the late Inspector General of Police who was buried last week.
Deputy Chairman of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), Tanimu Turaki (SAN), assured the committee of every support.
“We, in the management of the NCOC, want to assure you, and the leadership of your committee, that we are not going to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that whatever that can be done is done to make the work of your committee very easy,” he said.
Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties, explained that members of the subcommittee were carefully selected, adding, “the success of the convention is 85% contingent on what members of this committee will do in Ibadan.
“Security is key. Security is fundamental. Like the Chairman said, whether it is at the perimeters, or inside the convention premises, or even in ensuring that the process runs smoothly, side by side, and in tandem with what other security agencies that are invited, or would be invited, to the convention will do.
“So we hope that every one of you will consider himself or herself as being recognised in your own right, by PDP, as leaders in your own right.
“We are hopeful that at the end of the day, we will come up with a convention that other political parties will see as a benchmark for holding their own conventions.”.
END
