Sep 10th 2013, 23:00, by online@ngrguardiannews.com (From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja)
PEOPLES Democratic Party National Working Committee (NWC) Tuesday announced its plan to install a caretaker committee to run its Kano State chapter.
Meanwhile, the dispute among members of the party in the South West over the position of national secretary recorded a twist Tuesday as some members called for removal of the current Acting National Secretary, Remi Akitoye.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who briefed journalists at the party's national secretariat in Abuja, disclosed that the NWC intended to carry the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, along in constituting the caretaker committee.
PDP sources revealed that but for the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Bamanga Tukur-led NWC would have inaugurated the caretaker committee yesterday.
Former House of Representatives Speaker, Umar Ghali Na'Abba and Nigeria's Ambassador to China, Ambassador Aminu Wali had yesterday led a team of PDP members from Kano State to a meeting with Tukur in the national secretariat. The meeting was intended to culminate in the installation of the caretaker committee.
But after about 35 minutes of waiting for Tukur in the conference hall of the PDP headquarters, Metuh suddenly appeared in the hall to declare that the event had been converted to a closed door meeting with Tukur. It was learnt that a phone call from the Presidency aborted the setting up of the caretaker committee which would have taken place yesterday.
Metuh, however, disclosed that the NWC only got the information about the expiration of the tenure of Kano State PDP executive committee from the Na'Abba delegation yesterday. According to him, the tenure of the Kano executive of the party expired last month.
Chairman of Osun State chapter of the party, Chief Gani Olaoluwa said that Akitoye should be removed as acting national secretary because his remaining in the position is a breach of a court order.
He said: "We want Prof. Wale Ladipo appointed as secretary having been duly nominated by South-West in compliance with the order of the court. In the alternative, Onwe who is the deputy national secretary be appointed to act as national secretary pending the regularisation of Oladipo's nomination."
According to Olaoluwa, Akintoye's appointment was done in error to fill the vacant position when some officers resigned against the wish of the party in the southwest. "Now that the term of Akintoye's appointment has lapsed with the election of all officers, he should quit the position like others," he said.
