The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of ulterior motive in rejecting the notice of its June 30 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

INEC had on June 13, told PDP that the notice of the meeting sent to it was “not in compliance with the requirement of part 2(12)3 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022 that provides the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party shall jointly sign the notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting and submit same to the commission.”

In his reaction, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, said the commission overreached itself by trying to draw for the party, an agenda for the NEC meeting.

According to him, the PDP did not mention the agenda of the NEC meeting in the letter sent to INEC.

“We didn’t say we are going to do primaries. We didn’t say we are meeting because we are considering possibility of merger. So where does Halilu Aminu get that from?

“So he decided on his own to import a purpose for a meeting to satisfy some vested interest … to ensure that they can continue to stifle the capacity of PDP to do his things in line with this Constitution.

“How did this acting Secretary decide on his own to become a member of a political party and create for us an agenda that was not conveyed in the letter of the Acting National Chairman?

“Who is he working for? What is the objective? Why is he creating an agenda for our party for a regular statutory meeting that is routine?” he asked.

Ologunagba explained that the notice the party wrote to INEC was done out of courtesy, stating that NEC and National Working Committee (NWC) meetings are internal affairs of the party that does not require INEC’s presence.

“There are two major bodies in the party, the NWC and the NEC, that are required under the constitution.

“Under section 29, subsection 3 of the constitution of the party, the National Working Committee is expected to meet at least twice a month, every fortnight, because they are the managers of the party.

“Then section 34, subsection 4, talks about the National Executive Committee meeting …shall meet at least once every quarter at the instance of the National Chairman or at the request of a third of NEC members who shall notify the Chairman at least seven days prior to this meeting. And an emergency meeting may be summoned by the National Executive Committee.

“It must be clear that INEC has no role whatsoever in participating in regular meetings of these bodies that I have drawn to you,” he stated.

Ologunagba accused INEC of mischief, stating that the commission’s letter written on June 13 was delivered to the party on June 19, after it has leaked it to the media.

“Why the desperation to kill political parties? All they need is one party state, stifle opposition.

“INEC should know that this is hallucinating. This country will not go into a one-party state and nobody, no matter how powerful, whether you are a president or you are a combination of presidents, it will not work,” he assured.

Ologunagba however said the NEC meeting would hold as scheduled, stating that if the Supreme Court had said that court has no jurisdiction on what happens with the internal affairs of the party, “I wonder why INEC will have jurisdiction over it, because that is not the job of INEC.

“If we designate somebody to sign a letter, so be it, that is why it is an internal affair of the party.”