Secondus can only be removed at national convention: Legal Adviser

National legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party says powers to remove the party’s NWC or any national officer reside only in the party’s national convention.

Emmanuel Enoidem, the national legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, says powers to remove the party’s National Working Committee or any national officer reside only in the party’s national convention.

Mr Enoidem stated this on Monday while reacting to a communique purportedly issued by nine members of PDP’s NWC after a meeting held in Abuja on Sunday night.

He noted that by Section 29 (3) of the PDP constitution, it is the national chairman or a summon, backed by two-thirds of members of the NWC, that can validly convene a meeting of the NWC.

The PDP chieftain added that subsection (4) of the PDP constitution provided for two-thirds of members of NWC to form a quorum for a meeting of the NWC.

“As a bona fide member of the NWC, to the best of my knowledge, I am not aware of any meeting of NWC, summoned by the national chairman or in the manner provided aforesaid,” Mr Enoidem explained. “It is, therefore, of grave concern, and indeed, very sad to read the above position, purportedly taken by some distinguished members of NWC in utter disdain and violation of clear extant provisions of our constitution.”

The PDP legal adviser also stated that the issue of resignation of any officer of the party at any level was a personal decision as stipulated in Sections 45(1) & 47(5).

“There is no provision in our constitution which donates powers to any organ, individuals or group of persons to ask an officer of the party to resign for any reason whatsoever, as was purported in the so-called press release,” Mr Enoidem argued. “The powers to remove any member of the NWC and indeed any national officer is reserved in the national convention which is due for December 2021.”

Six out of the nine members of the NWC at the Sunday meeting voted that the PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus, should resign.