A former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has disclosed that the lingering leadership crisis rocking the party can be resolved within one week if the leadership of the party adopts political solutions rather than prolonged legal battles.
Olawepo-Hashim stated this on Tuesday during a meeting with the PDP National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as part of ongoing consultations aimed at achieving an out-of-court resolution of the party’s internal dispute.
According to Olawepo-Hashim, resolving the crisis through political engagement would better serve the survival of the party and strengthen Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
He further stated that the party already possesses the constitutional authority required to resolve the impasse without resorting to litigation.
“There are more than enough legitimate members of the National Executive Committee, NEC, to convene a meeting and resolve this crisis within one week,” Olawepo-Hashim said.
He cited Sections 3(1) and 3(4) of the PDP Constitution, which empower two-thirds of NEC members to convene a meeting, noting that the majority of NEC members were elected before the disputed Ibadan convention and therefore retain unquestionable legitimacy.
Olawepo-Hashim noted that although the tenure of some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, expired on December 8, the pre-Ibadan NEC members remain constitutionally empowered to intervene and take corrective action in the overall interest of the party.
Newspot reports that Olawepo-Hashim was also among the conveners of the PDP in 1998 and its first elected Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
