Atiku Has No Voting Right in Dec. 9 PDP Convention – Party

The Peoples Democratic Party returnee, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will not be allowed to vote at the weekend national convention of the party.The convention holds at Eagles Square, Abuja on Saturday, December 9.The party spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said in Abuja on Wednesday that this is because of the provision of the Constitution that deals with new entrants into the party.However, the party said he would be allowed to speak at the convention.Adeyeye said the party’s constitution should be used as a guide on the issue.According to Adeyeye: “All you need to do is pick up the constitution of the party and see whether Atiku is qualified to vote or not.”He stated further: “First of all, I can tell you that we are happy with Atiku coming back to the PDP. It is very exciting for all of us. It is a good omen to everybody in the PDP.“He was one of the founding fathers, one of those who built this party and he is coming back home. His room was never occupied, so we have opened it for him.“He will be part of this convention. He will even make a speech at the convention, but he may not be voting at the convention,” he said.Atiku Abubakar, who was a foundation member of the party, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014.However, he left the APC about a week ago and later announced that he was returning to the PDP last Sunday.Meanwhile, Adeyeye said the party had “credible information” that some “overzealous elements in the government” were planning to “disrupt” the convention.Though he said there was nothing to show that President Muhammadu Buhari was part of the plot, he pleaded with him to intervene by calling the unnamed aides to order.He said: “I want to draw your attention to an issue that bothers us. We have credible information that some overzealous elements in the government are trying by any means to disrupt the convention of the PDP; to make sure this convention does not hold successfully.“They have been trying every effort, but we are happy that we have no information that it is coming from the very top.“But some overzealous elements in the administration are bent on disrupting it. It is a very credible information. They are doing everything possible to make sure that this convention is disrupted.“They are afraid that if the PDP should hold a successful convention, their days in government are numbered.“By the time we hold this convention and our officers are elected and they take office, next year, there will be a floodgate of people, even from APC to the PDP.“This is a credible information and that is why we are appealing to President Buhari to please rein in his aides. We have evidence that the President is aware of this.”