National Telescope national telescope newspaper
The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Disciplinary Committee, High Chief Tom Ikimi, has clarified that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were not invited by the committee because no petitions have been filed against them.
Speaking at Legacy House in Abuja on Wednesday, Ikimi, flanked by ten committee members, including Chief Eyitayo Jegede, Hon. Patrick Ifo, and former governors Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano) and Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), explained that the committee only acts on submitted petitions.
“Whether acts were committed against the party in 2015, 2019, 2020, or any other year, we can only act if petitions are sent to us.
“This committee does not write petitions; we only attend to those submitted to us. If there is no petition against someone, we have no reason to invite them,” Ikimi stated.
Addressing claims by former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom that he had not been invited, Ikimi insisted that the petitions against Ortom and others were properly delivered.
“Last Wednesday, we reviewed the petitions before us. Two petitions were scheduled for hearing today—one against the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and another against some members of the PDP from Benue State, including Dr. Samuel Ortom and ten others,” he said.
Ikimi maintained that the committee had proof that the petitions were served both directly and through courier services.
“We were ready to proceed today, but we received correspondences from the affected persons. Senator Anyanwu informed us that he was unwell and had a medical appointment, which he supported with a doctor’s letter.
“Meanwhile, Ortom and others claimed they had not received the petitions, but we have evidence that they were sent,” he stated.
In light of these developments, Ikimi announced that the committee had decided to postpone the hearing to allow all parties a fair opportunity to respond.
“We believe in fair hearing and will not ignore health concerns.
“Therefore, we have deferred the hearing to March 4 to ensure that all involved receive the necessary documents. We are committed to handling this process fairly,” he concluded.
