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Ojo Maduekwe saved the day in America (1)
ACHO ORABUCHI Dallas, Texas
Thursday, June 29, 2006
What was left of PDP-USA Chapter was heading to the final decimation in Houston on June 24, 2006 until the timely and constructive intervention of the National Secretary of PDP, Chief Ojo Maduekwe.
The purported PDP-USA Chapter Congress, marinate in selfish schemes, was literally under a heavily tight security designed to disenfranchise the majority of the stakeholders. The Congress that was supposed to usher in a new executive body witnessed the worst scheme of disenfranchisement of stakeholders in the history of elections. The hatched plan selectively allowed some people in the hall while the majority of the people were refused entry into the hall of shame in an effort to produce or anoint a predetermined executive body. The plan came crashing as Chief Maduekwe aborted the proposed election and appointed Dr. Salamatu Mambula, who was a certified candidate for Chapter Secretary but was locked out, as the Caretaker Committee Chair. Chief Maduekwe charged her with conducting a unified election within the next three months. Many people commended Ojo Maduekwe’s magnificent action.
Choosing Dr. Salamatu Mambula to head the committee has breathed a sigh of life to the comatose PDP-USA Chapter. In a telephone conversation with Mambula, a scientist by training, she expressed shock that she was locked out of the hall like so many others. “I was shocked that they locked me out,” Dr. Mambula expressed with regret. “I was expecting them [Wariboko-led executive] to be flexible to avoid making decisions that are detrimental to Party,” she continued. On making sure that the new executive body of PDP-USA Chapter comprises of credible individuals that would move the Chapter forward, Mambula said, Though PDP-USA has been going through a teething period that has lasted longer than usual, every member has seen the light now and this will make us to be more careful in the future. We have identify the problems—lack of accountability and transparency; we’re setting the goals and articulating solution strategies. We’ll eschew the politics of exclusion that runs into deadlocks.” “Politics is full of negotiations and does not require hard-line view; negotiation is the name of the game in politics,” Mambula added.
Sir Ike Ginigeme recalled the incident in Houston as pathetic. He said, “The congress started at about 3.25 pm due to constant debate whether the said Okpalobi people will be allowed in the room or not. Tex Wariboko and Stanley Onye refused to allow them in despite all pleading from many stakeholders present. The presence of two Houston police made the matter worst because they were threatening to take people to jail. There was a lot of noise at one point and more police officers were called to handle the crowed. The event was a mess; some people were desperate to win at all cost. Some people were refused to pay to be able to vote or be voted for contrary to the rule and mandate of Abuja for a unified election. There was no election at the end. The Secretary from Abuja cancelled the election after he found out that there were a lot of irregularities from the look of things.”
Hon. Bright Olaokpu opined, “The past leadership was sacked for printing and distributing fraudulent PDP-USA Diaspora ID card, and intentional destabilization of legitimate branches for the sinister banal purpose of prolonging their debased and visionless tenure, through sham election; folks, it is official now.”
Piqued by the saga in Houston, Alaboso Joejim said, “All the scheming and backstabbing prior to the convention came to a screeching halt in Houston when the Party Secretary Chief Ojo Madueke called off the election. I am particularly saddened by the fact that we who live in a civilized democracy, allowed political expediency to overshadow a convention that we all thought would help heal the wounds of the past in PDP-USA.”
Genesis of the Problem PDP USA Chapter has been plagued with rancor and subsequent factions since its inception. The factional politics has impeded the progress and viability of the party in the US. Its history is well known to the stakeholders in America and Nigeria. No sooner had Dr. Ifenyichukwu Okpalobi been elected as the chairman of the Chapter in Boston on April 26, 2002 than division and rancor ensued. The conflict persisted and ultimately led to the demise of Dr. Okpalobi’s administration—his executive was dissolved with a caretaker committee in its place. Subsequently, an election was conducted in Jersey on October 28, 2003 by the caretaker committee that led to the emergence of Mr. Tex Wariboko as the new chairman of PDP USA Chapter. The division and intense rancor did not end with the emergence of Mr. Wariboko as a chairman of PDP USA. The factional politics gained its highest height under Mr. Tex Wariboko. Mr. Wariboko began to battle with his Deputy Chairwoman, Mrs. Felicia Hadjesmaili and the Public Relations Officer, Sir Ike Ginigeme, and the branch chairmen. This unenviable situation in PDP USA Chapter continued with impeachment and counter impeachment until Dr. Samuel Ogbomudia-led group intervened on April 2004 in Washington, DC.
In a marathon peace parley that started at about 7:30 pm on Thursday, November 4, 2004 at Embassy Suites in Washington, DC and lasted into the wee hours of 4:00 a.m. the following day, a delegation led by a member of PDP Board of trustees, General Samuel Ogbomudia (Rtd.), tried to broker peace between factions respectively led by Mrs. Felicia Hadjesmaili and Mr. Tex Wariboko. Members of the delegation were the Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations, H.E, Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali, Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, H.E, Ambassador George A. Obiozor, then PDP National Secretary, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, and Dr. Samuel Ogbomudia.
Again, the Peoples Democratic Party, USA Chapter (PDP USA) met at Hyatt Hotel, Arlington, Virginia near Washington, DC on December 11, 2004 to resolve the importunate problems that trailed the Chapter since its formation. The chapter held its reconciliation meeting with both warring factions present to implement the features of the accord reached on Thursday, November 4, 2004 with the assiduous help of a delegation led by a member of PDP Board of trustees, General Samuel Ogbomudia (rtd). The peace was finally consummated in Washington, DC on July 2004 under the watchful eyes of Prof. Obiozor and Alhaji Wali and in the absence of Chapter Chair, Mr. Tex Wariboko.
Once more, though PDP-USA Chapter is no stranger to controversy, yet it has enjoyed a relative peace after being in the turbulent waters since its inception in 2000. No sooner had the Chapter emerged from an importunate imbroglio that has plagued it since the election of Dr. I. C .A. Okpalobi on April 26, 2002 than the court in Abuja swung an ax on the tranquility that greeted the Chapter after unification of various factions both at the chapter and branch levels. The brevity of the harmony came as a result of a lawsuit filed against PDP, Chief Ogbe, and Prince Ogbulafor by Dr. Okpalobi.
Incensed at the process by which he was relieved of his position as the Chairman of PDP-USA Chapter, Dr. Okpalobi sued Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria, Chief Audu Ogbe, and Prince Vincent Ogbulafor on behalf of Chapter executive elected at the Boston Congress alleging that the dissolution of his executive was without due process and also contravened the constitution of PDP. The suit filed in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Lugbe in Abuja was heard uncontested. On February 17, 2005, Hon. Justice A. S. Umar ruled in favor of the plaintiff as follows:
“That the purported decision of the National Working Committee of the 1st Defendant in dissolving the PDP – USA Chapter Executive headed by the Plaintiff as Chairman is unconstitutional, illegal, null, and void and of no effect whatsoever.”
“That the appointment of a Caretaker Committee for the PDP – USA Chapter by the National Working Committee is unconstitutional, illegal, and vires its powers, being contrary to PDP Constitution and a flagrant abuse of S.36(1) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“That all actions taken by the Caretaker Committee including any election if conducted for the PDP – USA Chapter is unconstitutional, null, and void.”
Armed with the judgment, Dr. Okpalobi tried to domesticate the judgment in the United States in order to invalidate the New Jersey election of October 28th 2003. This brought us to where we were with both Okpalobi and Wariboko claiming legal chairmanship of two factions of PDP USA.
Due to the orientation of the branch chairmen in relation to respect for rule of law, they overwhelmingly supported Dr. Okpalobi as the legal chairman as Okpalobi tried to domesticate the Nigerian judgment. Since Tex Wariboko claimed that Abuja was backing his chairmanship, he refused to relinquish power to Okpalobi, who had a commanding majority of the branches in the United States. As a result, the Chapter stagnated with two factions.
In the concluding part of this story, other failed peace efforts would be narrated.
Ojo Maduekwe saved the day in America (1) Ojo Maduekwe saved the day in America (2) Ojo Maduekwe saved the day in America (3)
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