Nat’l Conference: 20 Political Parties Protest Exclusion From Nominating Delegates

20 political parties are aggrieved by the decision of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue approving only parties with members at the national assembly to participate in the forth coming national conference.

The national chairman of Progressive Peoples Alliance, Mr. Peter Ameh, Friday condemned the decision and vowed to go to court to protest their exclusion from nominating delegates to the national conference, despite satisfying all the necessary conditions.

Addressing journalist, the parties led by Ameh said they had received the mandate of other parties for PPA to sue for itself and on behalf of others.

Ameh said PPA was the platform on which ex-Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State. He stated that Governor Theodore Orji of Abia state as well as Senator Uche Chukwumerije contested and won elections before defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Also, the man currently representing Ekenemo 2 State Constituency, Victor Prezi of Bayelsa State House of Assembly is a member of the party, he said.

“Our party has satisfied every provision to be part of the conference. One of the conditions is that a party must have a NWC, National Executive Committee with Headquarters in Abuja and we have State and Ward Executives.”

“If you want to go by the provision of Section 78 (2) of the Electoral Act (as amended), our party has also satisfied that condition because it does not require that a man must win House of Representatives election for us to become a parliamentary party.

“The State House of Assembly is also a parliamentary election. We have a member in Bayelsa State House of Assembly who came in the 2011 election. There has snot been any election in which we have failed. We have participated in the governorship elections in Sokoto and Ondo states and other elections. That can be verified from Independent National Electrical Commission.”

“We will use every lawful means to be able to ensure that members of our party will not be oppressed in a very unjustly manner.” Ameh lamented.