“Its constitution is forged and invalid”: New PDP faction wants INEC to deregister party

The crisis plaguing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a turn for the worse yesterday as the recently created faction under the leadership of Abubakar Baraje asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP.
The Baraje led faction levelled a series of allegations against Tukur’s PDP stating that the latter had failed to notify INEC of an amendment to the party’s constitution as required by the Nigerian constitution.
Section 222 (D) of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates, ”Any alteration in its (political party) registered constitution is also registered in the principal office of the Independent National Electoral Commission within thirty days of the making of such alteration.”
According to reports, a statement of claim which the Baraje faction is taking before the Lagos High Court, also asked the court to declare Mr. Tukur an illegal chairman of the ruling party on account that his membership of the PDP was not properly approved as stipulated, after his expulsion by the National Executive Council of the PDP in 2001.
The statement said the party’s constitution was amended in 2009 to give effect to the 2012 PDP constitution. However, the group said it has found evidence that “strange clauses” which were not part of the proposed amendment were inserted into the original produced version of the 2012 constitution, and those alterations were not approved by the party convention and the National Executive Committee as required by law.
The group said those clauses rendered the current PDP constitution “forged and invalid”.
“The forged 2012 constitution was not equally filled before INEC as required by the constitution, thereby making the PDP constitution upon which the 2013 convention was held an invalid document and the outcome of that convention invalid, as it was held with no valid constitution,” the claims filed by the Baraje faction, seen by journalists, said.
“The proof of this evidence can be seen in the approved memo by the PDP NEC upon which the amendment was done in the 2012 and the original version of the PDP constitution filled with INEC will as well prove these violations.”
A spokesperson for INEC, Kayode Idowu, said there was no immediate information on the petition. The application is the latest indication the crisis rocking the ruling party is far from over.
The Baraje faction has the support of seven governors, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and several lawmakers. They accuse the Tukur-led PDP of hijacking the party and being dictatorial.