PDP National Caucus Holds Emergency Meeting Today

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has called an emergency national caucus meeting of the party.

Named the ‘Expanded Caucus Meeting’, the party is expected to use the occasion to get the support of its members to seek redress in court over the outcome of the presidential election.

The meeting, which will at the party secretariat in Abuja on Monday (today), will be presided over by the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus.

Secondus, though confirmed the meeting in an interview with one of our correspondents, refused to give details of its agenda.

However, inside sources said the NWC would brief the members about the outcome of the presidential and National Assembly elections.

It is also expected to deliberate on the forthcoming governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for March 9.

A source close to the party said, “We will deliberate on what happened on February 23 across the country and also hear from our agents.

“We will also expect our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to brief us. The party will back him on his decision to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress in court over the outcome of the rigged election.

“We will also discuss Saturday’s governorship and States Houses of Assembly elections."

We’ve started work on Atiku’s petition– lead counsel, Ozoukwu

Meanwhile, the lawyer leading Atiku’s legal team to the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, Mr Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), said on Sunday that work had begun on the PDP presidential candidate’s petition and would be filed as soon as possible.

Asked by The PUNCH when the petition was likely to be filed, Uzouwku said, “All I can tell you for now is that we are already working on it and we would file it as soon as it is ready.

“Don’t forget this is a presidential election that covers all Nigeria. This is not a governorship, House of Representatives or senatorial election. We are talking about the whole of Nigeria."
He noted that his client was still within the timeline to file the petition as the law gives an election petitioner 21 days from the day of the declaration of the results to file his or her complaints before the tribunal.

The presidential election held on February 23 but the result was not declared until February 27.

This implies that Atiku has until March 20 to file his petition.

From Monday (today), he has roughly 16 days to file it.