The Screening Sub-Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disqualified four aspirants vying for the National Working Committee (NWC) offices at the forthcoming October 30 and 31, 2021 national convention.
The chairman of the Electoral Sub-Committee and the 279-member National Convention Organizing Committee (NCOC), Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, announced this during the official media launch of the 2021 national convention logo and promotional materials at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.
The governor listed three aspirants that failed to meet the standards set by the party’s screening committee led by a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke Bello, SAN, to include Prof. Wale Oladipo (Osun) Deputy National Chairman, South; Barrister Okey Muo-Aroh (Anambra) National Secretary, and Dr Olafeso Eddy Eniola (Ondo) National Publicity Secretary.
He said they failed to exhaust the internal conflicts resolution mechanism as provided in the PDP Constitution, stressing that there must be discipline for the party to survive.
Governor Fintiri, who said the screening committee submitted its report yesterday, added that 27 aspirants were cleared to contest at the convention while one withdrew from the race.
According to the report of the committee, Eniola was disqualified for taking the party to court to stop the convention.
Prof. Oladipo was not cleared because of a petition against him that he “undermined the 2016 PDP National Convention to act as the national secretary after the dissolution of the NWC and the appointment of the national caretaker committee.”
Muo-Aroh, according to the report, was not cleared for violating the zoning formula.
The fourth person who was screened out of the race was Akintan Oludaisi from Ogun State, eyeing the position of deputy national secretary.
The hope of the disqualified aspirants now lay with the Screening Appeal Committee led by Senator Ike Ekweremadu scheduled to hold its meeting on Saturday, October 23, 2021.
Meanwhile, Fintiri has said not less than 4,000 delegates will elect members of the new National Working Committee (NWC) to work for the expected victory at the 2023 general elections, especially the presidential poll.
