ABUJA—FORTY eight hours before the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, six founding members of the party, yesterday, filed a petition before the party’s Presidential Primary Screening Committee, explaining why former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should be disqualified from participating in the party’s presidential primaries.

This is coming at a time when intrigues and last minute maneouvres are taking place at the PDP Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

The intrigues are being wrought by supporters of the two front runners, President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

One of such is the move by some founding members, each from a geo_political zone, who signed the five_page document with a prayer: “…We crave the indulgence of members of the Presidential Primary Screening Committee to hold that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is not a proper person to represent the PDP in the Presidential Primary Election in 2011 and to disqualify him from participating in the Presidential Primary Election.”

Petition for Atiku’s disqualification

The members in the petition titled Petition for the disqualification of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from 2011 PDP Presidential Primary, are Ambassador Ibrahim Bala, North West; Dere Adeleke, South West; Hon. Abdullahi Rabiu, North Central; Hajia Amina Abubakar, North East; Evangelist Uchenna Rajis, South East; and Prince Emeka Williams, South South.

The members hinged their petition on 11 planks alleging the following:
*that the US Senate had accused Atiku Abubakar of bringing into the US $40million of suspect money through offshore corporations;
*that the congressional report concluded that Atiku Abubakar is a corrupt foreign official;

*that in a 2008 civil complaint, the US Security and Exchange Commission, SEC alleged that Atiku’s wife received over $2 million in bribe money from Siemens;

*that the report found that Atiku transferred so much money to his wife through Shell companies while in office as Vice President;
*that the Atiku_Jennifer_America University of Nigeria saga has severely injured Nigeria’s reputation in the United States;

*that the report found that US banks are scared of dealing with Atiku Abubakar and his wife; and
*that it also showed that Atiku Abubakar continued to carry out business even as a Vice President using Blind Trust contrary to Section 6(b) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act”.

They then went ahead to explain the implications of the congressional report on Atiku and the 2011 elections:
“that Atiku is perceived as a “corrupt foreign official” and that such a person can not be PDP’s presidential candidate;

*that based on the indictment of the congressional report, Atiku can not be allowed entry visa into the US, Nigeria’s most important foreign partner;

*that by virtue of the US Senate Report, the US classifies Atiku as a “corrupt foreign official”; and
*that the implication is Atiku’s indictment by the US Senate is that he is considered a corrupt foreign official and, therefore, should not aspire to any high office.”

On the side of Atiku, some leaders of the party are already interpreting the court judgment which said the move to stop President Jonathan was pre-emptory, insisting that the judgment upheld the priniciple of zoning but made it clear that there was no cause for the litigation brought by pro_Atiku politicians until President Jonathan had been voted for as the PDP candidate, there was no basis for the litigation.

They, therefore, attempt to explain the statement made by the National Chairman to the screening committee that they should not allow those who would face litigation after the election pass the screening of the committee. “What that statement referred to is that should the PDP present Jonathan, we can then go back to court to say that the party has violated the zoning arrangement in the party.”

Reacting to the petition, however, spokesman of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu said: “The so_called elders are a group of interlopers. How can they be elders when none of them has any name recognition? The facts they presented are fake, frivolous and annoying. The panel should have no difficulty in dismissing their petition. The discerning public should ignore them.”

Screening of presidential aspirants

Meanwhile as the PDP settles down to screen its Presidential aspirants, National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has warned members of the Presidential Screening Committee not to give to the party, a candidate that will lose in the courts.

Nwodo who charged the Screening Committee to keep to the rules and avoid matters which could bring about litigations for the party, stressed that they must ensure they look at critically at qualifications of aspirants.

The PDP Presidential aspirants are President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mrs Sarah Jibril and Alhaji Aminu Dutsima from Katsina state.

Speaking yesterday at the PDP National Secretariat while inaugurating the 10_member committee headed by former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Alhaji Aminu Wali, the PDP National chairman who noted that the Presidential candidate must be credible, said that it would be wrong for the Committee to present a candidate who would be robbed of electoral victory in the law courts.

Also yesterday, the PDP National Chairman inaugurated the Dr. Shettima Mustapha led Convention Committee where he also warned that the exercise must be transparent against the backdrop that the world was watching the party as it handled the Presidential primaries, adding that as a party, it must work towards standards that must be emulated by all.

Nwodo also announced key members of the National Working Committee, NWC as chairmen of Convention Planning sub_ Committees, just as he said he would head the Presidential Appeal Committee.

Meanwhile, the Atiku Abubakar’s camp has raised alarm over the composition of the 36_member Special National Convention Planning Committee set up by the party, saying it is lopsided, just as the group wants some of the names dropped as it claimed irregularities in the PDP primaries at various levels.
Electoral malpractices
In a statement from the Campaign Organisation, Atiku appealed to the leadership of the party to examine all such complaints of electoral malpractices with a view to rectifying them, adding, “We call on the PDP leadership to deal with such complaints promptly and fairly to stem the exodus of disenchanted leading party members from the party.

“We also appeal to aggrieved party members to exercise restraint and to take advantage of all such arbitration opportunities before taking further action. We wish to remind the PDP leadership to be conscious of the enormous challenges of their roles, and therefore be guided by a strong sense of justice, equity and fair play in the discharge of their responsibilities”.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that Atiku may dump the party as there was a likelihood that he may be denied his presidential ambition and part of the fears being expressed by the Atiku group is that the screening panel is likely to accept results of party congresses which Atiku has already protested.

Of the seven presidential aspirants who picked PDP form, former General Ibrahim Babangida, Governor Bukola Saraki and Major_General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau had withdrawn from the race, agreeing to queue behind Atiku, consensus candidate of the Northern Elders Political Forum (NEPF) headed by former Finance Minister, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma.

Babangida and Gusau have already withdrawn from the PDP primary, but it was learnt, yesterday, that Governor Saraki will make his withdrawal public before the commencement of the primary where baring last minute change of mind, will ask his supporters to back Jonathan.

Vanguard learnt that Dutsinma was said to be fronting for Atiku, while Jibril is for Jonathan, just as a source said that Dutsinma and Jibril will withdraw from the race, while Atiku may also opt out of the primary as his allies may likely be disqualified from being part of the delegates to the national convention by the screening panel.

If this happens, Atiku would have no option than to withdraw from the race and seek another political platform from where he would seek to achieve his presidential ambition.

By Jide Ajani, Editor, Northern Operations / Henry Umoru (Vanguard Newspaper)