Former governors, deputy governors removed as automatic delegates of the PDP

Former governors and  deputy governors produced by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been removed as automatic delegates to its national convention.

The national convention of the party holds in Abuja on Saturday.

It was gathered that the step was taken to make sure that the outcome of the convention was not subjected to another round of legal crisis that could overturn actions taken at the convention.

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, was said to have taken the matter to the Thursday’s PDP National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.

According to a document obtained by our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday, Makarfi said there was the need to remove the former governors and their deputies as automatic delegates to the convention because of the ruling of an Abuja High Court.

Makarfi’s memo was titled, ‘Ammendments /Addendum to NEC approved guidelines for conduct of ward, LGA, State, Zonal congresses and the National Convention, effective November 10, 2017.’

The memo was dated November 30.

In the memo, Makarfi stated that in “paragraph 6.1 (13), page 11 of the guidelines, former governors were listed as delegates to the national convention in view of Section 33 (1) of the PDP Constitution, 2012, which came into force as a result of amendments to the party’s constitution at the December 10 to 12, 2014 national convention.

“Since section 47 (6) of the PDP Constitution 2012 achieved at the 10-12 December 2014 national convention was nullified by an FCT High Court in FCT /HC/CV /1867 //2016 Jero Vs. PDP on the grounds that the amendment did not follow laid down procedure, in particular, that it was not registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission within the period prescribed by law, it is necessary to remove former governors and former deputy governors produced by the party who are still members of the party as delegates to the national convention.”