N40 Million Campaign funds: Crisis hits Bayelsa PDP as Chairman rejects suspension, petitions Mu’azu, NWC for reversal

The Bayelsa State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Col. Samuel Inokoba (retd), has protested against his suspension by the party’s State Working Committee (SWC).

He was suspended last week on allegations of misconduct and diversion of N40 million campaign funds for the party.

In rejecting the suspen­sion, Inokoba has formally petitioned the National Chairman of the party, Al­haji Adamu Mu’azu and its National Working Com­mittee (NWC), seeking a reversal of the, “purported suspension” because it con­travened section 59 (3) of the constitution of the PDP.

In a letter dated Febru­ary 13, 2015 addressed to Mu’azu, the National Secre­tary and the National Legal Adviser through his coun­sel, Timi Ambaiowei & As­sociates, Inokoba appealed to the party’s leadership to quickly invoke the said sec­tion to save the party from losing the forthcoming gen­eral elections.

He also complained that, “the same destabilising agents” were making frantic efforts to seal up his office with a view to permanently depriving him from gaining access to his office when he returns to the state. Accord­ing to him, the suspension was announced when he was attending a NEC meet­ing at the party’s secretariat in Abuja on the same day.

Quoting the provisions of section 31 (1) of the same constitution, Inokoba con­tended that as a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) party, the SWC’s action was a nullity as only the NEC has such powers.

The chairman stated that since he was elected in 2012, his tenure ends in 2016.

The four-page petition, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent, read in part: “The most disturb­ing aspect of the manifestly curious suspension is that the masterminds, who are highly placed officials, both within the party and the Bayelsa State Government know that at this critical time of general elections in the country, the entire PDP in Bayelsa State needs to work together as one solidly united and indivisible entity to deliver the party in the elections.”

Inokoba appealed to Mu’azu and the NWC to “invoke section 59 (3) of the PDP constitution and for­mally hold and declare that the purported suspension by the SWC is null and void and of no effect.”