THE Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described allegations of forgery and signature cloning made by the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, as false and baseless.
Anyanwu had alleged that his signature was forged on the correspondence transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in preparation of the party’s forthcoming elective convention.
However, the BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, in a statement in Abuja, on Thursday, October 23, said the BoT would have preferred to refrain from engaging in matters of internal administrative procedure in the public domain, but for the gravity of the allegation and its capacity to mislead party members and the general public; hence a clear and factual clarification.
he stated: “It is on record that the said INEC notification letter was jointly signed by the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and Anyanwu, on August 25, during the 102nd meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP.
“The signing took place in the presence of critical organs and stakeholders of the party, including members of the PDP Governors’ Forum, BoT and other NEC members, who witnessed the process.”
Wabara said before then, Anyanwu was formally inaugurated as the Secretary of the Contact and Mobilisation Sub-Committee for the national convention, and in that capacity, he co-signed official communications of the sub-committee, including letters of appointment issued to its members, alongside the Sub-Committee Chairman, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.
He added: “Furthermore, Anyanwu, in his capacity as Sub-Committee Secretary, personally signed and transmitted a letter seeking financial approval for the inaugural meeting of the sub-committee.
“These verifiable correspondences, bearing his signature, are in the custody of the party and relevant convention committees.
“In view of these incontrovertible facts, the BoT finds Anyanwu’s claim of forgery to be baseless, misleading, and to say the least, reprehensible, being inconsistent with the documented record of events.
“Such allegations, regrettably, can only be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to cast aspersions on the integrity of the party’s leadership and processes, and to misinform security agencies and the general public.’’
Wabara reiterated BoT’s cohesive, resolute and unwatering’s commitment to democratic values, transparency and internal harmony, noting that the forthcoming national convention shall by every measure, be a credible and unifying exercise reflective of the PDP’s long-standing tradition of internal democracy.
He charged all PDP members, stakeholders and supporters to disregard the “unfounded claims’’ by Anyanwu, urging them to remain steadfast in their support for the leadership of PDP, as they continue to chart a course for Nigeria’s democratic renewal on the platform of the PDP.
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