PDP convention: Atiku’s name missing on delegates’ list

Former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar will not vote in the Peoples Democratic Party forthcoming national convention as his name is not on the list of delegates submitted to the party from his home state, Adamawa.

 The party has tentatively slated August 20 for the special mini convention.

Sources, however, said the date “is not sacrosanct.”

The list signed by the party’s factional chairman in the state, Mr. Joel Madaki, an ally of the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, was sighted by our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday.

Though Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State does not belong to the Madaki faction, his name appears on the list.

Former Information Minister and Chairman PDP Convention Planning Committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, had said only those that voted at the 2012 convention, where the members of the party’s National Working Committee were elected, would vote at the mini convention.

The report of the Independent National Electoral Commission on the convention, which faulted the emergence some of the party officials at the convention, compelled 20 of them to resign recently.

The party’s National Executive Committee accepted their resignation at its June meeting.

The list of the March 20, 2012 delegates’ list was signed by Kaugama Mijijinwa as the Adamawa State chairman.

However, the fresh list by Madaki did not contain the name of Mijijinwa as a delegate.

Efforts to speak with Gana on the matter were not successful, as he did not pick his calls.

Meanwhile, Gana may have tactically moved the meetings of the convention committee to a private office at Wuse 2, off Parakou Crescent instead of the party’s national secretariat or its Presidential Campaign office, popularly called Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja.

 Our correspondent, who observed the committee meeting at the new place (Mithbath Street) on Saturday, did not see the Secretary of the convention committee, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, among others at the gathering.

Meanwhile, INEC said the party had contacted the commission on the suspended convention, initially slated for July 20.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, who confirmed the shift, however did not give a new date for the exercise.

He said, “Yes, we are aware of the shift but I cannot tell you the exact date for now, except I find out. But I am aware that it is after the Ramadan.”

By the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended), all political parties, are expected to give the commission 21 days notice of its conventions or conferences. This is to enable INEC to monitor the conventio