Absence Of NEC Meetings Has Empowered Some To Overstep Party Bounds, Says Mark Jacob

In anticipation of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Former PDP Legal Adviser, Mark Jacob joined an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, during which he assured that those who have acted against the party’s interests will be called to order.

He said that the absence of NEC meetings is what has emboldened some in the party to believe that they are bigger than the political party they belong to and evade accountability.

“Nobody is above the political party that he belongs to and I know that there are people that can call anybody to look them in the face and tell you what the truth is. Many of those people abound in the political party PDP. It’s just the absence of these meetings that has allowed some people to think they are bigger than the political party they belong to. It’s not true that they cannot be called to order. They can and they will be called to order.”

Although Jacob expressed dissatisfaction over the party’s state, he remains hopeful, believing in the potential growth of the party, through organised action against wrongdoing.

“I am one of those that is positive about the growth of the sustenance of the party, that is why some of us have not left, even in the face of feeling very sad. I’m not happy with the state of the party, but I cannot say I have lost hope. We still have hope that if more meetings are convened, the organs of the party will be compelled to take necessary actions against individuals. No single individual is bigger than the hall. It cannot happen and It will not happen in the PDP.”

As to whether the limitation of the meeting attendance to NEC members stemmed from concerns that the topics discussed might escalate into a free fall fight, he said, “NEC meetings have always been like that. The names of those who are supposed to attend the meetings are known, and identified, if you are not a member of NEC, you cannot even have access to the venue. This is very normal. Sometimes, instead of coming alone as a member of NEC, people will come with their supporters or their friends and it causes a lot of problems for those who are responsible for screening and allowing the venue to be very conducive for discussions. The instruction that non members should not come there is a normal thing. If you’re not a member of NEC, there is no reason for you to be there.

“Those who are attending the meeting ought to come prepared to stay and discuss passionately. They are supposed to come and address specific issues, look at the current situation in an atmosphere of quietness and decorum. I think there’ll be no fiasco, there will be no freefall.”

With regard to the desired outcomes expected by the PDP, he said the ultimate goal is for the party organs and major stakeholders to come together harmoniously to address diverse perspectives and restore confidence in the party and its leadership.

“I expect that all the issues of the agenda will be dispassionately discussed, people will be allowed to air their views, people will be allowed to canvass for opinions and address them properly. But what will make us most happy is a situation where all the organs of the party, the major stakeholders of the party, come to sit down as a family and take a course that will make people regain their confidence in the party and its leadership.

“There is a deficit in confidence, there’s a deficit in trust, and people are complaining in disarray, members of the party in various states are feeling very disappointed and a few things have happened that ought not to happen but it’s because the leadership has not been upright and updoing. Nobody should have the liberty of saying that the NWC belongs to any individual and that outcome would make me very happy that we have now put the leadership on the right course and people are regaining the confidence they have in the party and are willing to move forward.

“ We expect that at the end of the meeting tomorrow, there will be confidence building, there will be a lot of fence mending and all the misgivings that people have will be put to rest.”

Melissa Enoch

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