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Akinfenwa's faction asks members to shun fresh AD convention
AS efforts are being made towards holding a fresh national convention by the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Lagos on Wednesday, Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa's faction at the weekend called on members of the party to shun the exercise.
Also, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, at the weekend dissociated itself from the proposed fresh convention, insisting that Akinfenwa remains the party's national chairman.
The Akinfenwa group's National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Rafiu Salau, in a statement made available to reporters in Osogbo, Osun State capital, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its counsel, had made it clear that the electoral body would neither attend nor recognise the proposed exercise.
According to Salau in the statement titled "Shun illegal convention," a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has already restrained INEC and any group from holding any convention until the determination of a suit filed against the electoral body by a faction of the party before it.
The statement read in part: "All party members are enjoined to shun the illegal convention under the Akande/Tinubu group. Such convention is an exercise in futility that will not be recognised by AD or INEC. There are many facts to convince you that the fresh Lagos convention is a waste of time, money and energy."
He stated that any action taken contrary to the court directive would be considered as null and void, saying since July 29, the court had ordered that the status quo ante be maintained until the pending suit was determined.
Salau noted further that "INEC was fully aware of the subsisting court order and would neither attend the convention or recognise the outcome as this electoral body would not flout the court's directive.
"Therefore, no executive, either former or any of the two factions has the constitutional power to convey any elective convention before the court ruling because we cannot do something.
According to the factional AD spokesman, as long as INEC does not recognise any of the factions, no existing National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party can summon any convention in line with article 9.2(1) of the AD constitution.
He further explained that as things stand now, no one has constitutional power to convey AD convention "even the former NEC whose term expired in 2003 cannot and has not summoned any official meeting let alone conveying a new convention."
The Akinfenwa group also faulted the move by Mohammed Hassan-led National Convention Committee (NCC) to call for a fresh convention.
The group said: "The NCC, which claims to have power to convene a convention, is neither an organ of the party nor a standing committee. The truth is that the ad-hoc committee set up to plan and organise the convention had ceased to exist since December 2003. Nothing could bring it back. Not even INEC, which suggested such as one of the option in its February meeting with the NEC of the party.
He advised all AD members in the country not to join "joking crowd" but patiently wait for the court's ruling on this matter which has been fixed for October 8, 2004.
The acting leader of Afenifere, Chief Rueben Fasoranti, in an interview with journalists in Ibadan, dissociated the group from the planned Lagos convention, saying that his position on the chairmanship seat of the party has not changed.
He dismissed the claims by the Afenifere Administrative Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, that the group supports the conduct of a fresh convention.
Fasoranti said: "The man was on his own. Our position concerning the new convention remains the same. It would not solve the problem on the ground. Afenifere is in support of the Abuja convention, which produced Senator Akinfenwa as the party's chairman. Odumakin has no mandate to speak on behalf of the group."
The Afenifere leader added: "I do not know why he did what he has done. He did not consult anybody before saying what he said, maybe he has his own hidden agenda."
When asked whether the group would sanction Odumakin, Fasonranti said the matter would be tabled before the Afenifere leadership at its next meeting.
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