Attah invited PDP panel to probe anti-party activities, says aide
By Clifford Ndujihe
AKWA Ibom State government has debunked media reports that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had set up a committee to investigate alleged anti-party activities against Governor Victor Attah.
The report had said PDP set up the committee, consisting of four national officers to probe the governor's alleged refusal to abide by the party's directive to drop the parliamentary system of government he introduced at the local council level in the state.
A memo to the PDP made available to The Guardian showed that the four-man committee was set up in response to a request by Attah to the national headquarters of the party to investigate anti-party activities of some members in the state during the last council polls.
In a letter to the PDP chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the governor on April 5, 2004 urged a high-powered committee to probe complaints arising from the election.
Titled: "Conduct of council elections in Akwa Ibom State, anti-party activities of highly placed members," the letter read in part:
"I am indeed proud and happy to report to you that at the end of the run-off elections on Saturday April 3, 2004, our great party, Peoples Democratic Party, had won overwhelmingly in 30 of the 31 local government areas in the state. We lost only in Ikot Ekpene, which is the local government area of the state deputy chairman of the party as well as the federal constituency of his excellency, the deputy governor.
"The joy of this victory has, however, been taken away by an unbelievably high level of anti-party activities exhibited by very high ranking members of our party. Because of the calibre of people involved, their activities cannot be properly investigated by a locally composed committee.
"I therefore, respectfully call upon you to send a high powered committee of three or four from the national level, with a secretary from the zone to come as quickly as possible to investigate the complaints. The biggest problem that PDP faced in this state was PDP working against PDP. This must be stopped and can only be stopped by severe disciplinary action."
In response to the request, a four-man committee was raised on July 13, 2004.
In a letter to Attah entitled: "Committee on Anti-Party Activities in Akwa Ibom State", the national secretary, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor named four prominent PDP leaders as members of the committee.
Members of the committee are Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun (deputy national chairman, South) as chairman, Alhaji Iro Dan Musa, Yohannah Madaki (national legal adviser) and Venatius Ikem (national publicity secretary) as secretary.
Ikem is from Cross River State.
