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PDP in disarray, disowns Metuh’s deputy

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The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seems to be in disarray as its Acting National Chairman, Uche Secondus and the National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, Tuesday disowned the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdulahi Jalo, over his call on former President Goodluck Jonathan to speak out on the $2.1 billion arms scandal, and abandonment of the party’s spokesman, Olisa Metuh, to his fate with the EFCC.

Secondus stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at the party’s constitutional amendment forum while Kwon made the position of the party known in a statement he issued also in Abuja on Tuesday.

Jalo, had called on former President Jonathan to speak out on the claims made by Dasuki on the arms procurement scandal at a press briefing on Monday.

Secondus however dismissed the call, saying Jalo speak for himself and not for the party. He added that the views expressed by him does not represent the position of the PDP leadership.

“Let me make it clear to you that Jalo was only expressing his personal opinion because his views did not represent the position of the party.

“There was no time we discussed at the National Executive Committee (NEC) that Jonathan should speak on the arms deal scandal. There was no time such a thing came up at the NEC. So Jalo must be expressing his personal opinion,” Secondus said.

The PDP boss also condemned the continued detention of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh and other party chieftains by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling on the anti-graft body to release Metuh immediately.

According to him, his continued detention was against the rule of law and a breach of his fundamental human right.

According to the statement personally signed by Kwon, the national leadership of the PDP has not changed its demand that Metuh be immediately released or charged to court by the EFCC.

“This clarification is on the instance of strange publications in the media credited to Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo on the arrest, by the EFCC, of some of our leaders and particularly our National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.

“The national leadership of the party wishes to clarify that Jalo is not a member of the National Working Committee and does not have the mandate of the party to speak on its behalf on any matter whatsoever. Under our constitution, only the National Chairman and the National Publicity Secretary or any body so designated by the National Chairman or the National Working Committee speaks for the party. Jalo, clearly does not have this mandate and could not have been speaking for our party.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the official position of our great party remains that our spokesman should be released or charged to court as he remains innocent until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction, in line with the provisions of our constitution and the
laws of Nigeria.

“The PDP is therefore resolute in challenging the continued detention of
our spokesman for a week now, beyond the limits provided by the laws in
violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights as a citizen. We are
solidly behind our spokesman in the demand for the enforcement of his
rights and liberty. Our demand that he is immediately released or charge
to court has not changed”, Kwon said.

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