TheCable

The screening sub-committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disqualified three aspirants from contesting for positions in the national working committee (NWC).

Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa and chairman of the national convention organising committee, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja.

Those disqualified are Wale Oladipo (Osun), Okey Muo-Aroh and Olafeso Eddy Eniola (Ondo) — they were vying for the positions of the deputy national chairman (south), national secretary, and national publicity secretary, respectively.

Fintiri said the aspirants were disqualified for taking the PDP to court to stop the convention from holding.

“The screening committee has just completed and submitted the report to us this afternoon; they’ve done a wonderful job,” he said.

“Thirty-one candidates have indicated interest to contest for all the positions from the national chairman to the least position. Twenty-seven of them have been cleared, one has withdrawn and three have been disqualified.

“I want to tell you that the three (aspirants) that could not meet the standard of the screening committee — Dr Olafeso Eddy Eniola, who initially has put his interest to contest for the office of the national publicity secretary, and the other persons are professor Adewale Abiodun Oladipo and barrister Okey Muo-Aroh.

“All these have been disqualified for reason that they took the party to court. The intention also was to stop the national convention. So, if you have taken the party to court without exhausting the internal mechanism of settling whatever grievances you have and you try to stop the convention, the committee felt you cannot also enjoy the convention.

“More so, the provision of section 51 (1L) in our party constitution has clearly spelt out that you must exhaust all the internal mechanisms in the party.

“The same constitution of our great party has also made a provision that if you have not exhausted section 58 (1L), you can be punished under section 59 (1e). So, you can see that the steering committee has done what is needful of them.

“You must be disciplined in the party for us to survive. And I think we have to move away from the past as we are trying to open a new chapter for the party.”

Fintiri also said the disqualified aspirants have the right to appeal.

“If they have any reason not to agree with why they have been disqualified, this party is very democratic. You have the opportunity tomorrow to appear before the appeal committee and they may be considered, they may not be considered, depending on the reason they may be putting forth. But I’m satisfied with the job done by the screening committee,” he said.

The PDP convention is scheduled to hold on October 30.