Olisa Metuh under observation at National Hospital

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples, Olisa Metuh yesterday fell off a swivel chair as he came into the National Working Committee meeting hall at the party secretariat to witness the inauguration of the caretaker committees of the party in Borno and Kebbi states.

Chief Metuh who came into the hall while the chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff was already seated made for a seat reserved for him but fell to the floor as the swivel chair gave way.

The national Publicity Secretary who remained on the floor for about three minutes before he was assisted by two policemen out of the hall was said to have complained earlier in day of a waist pain. It was learnt that Olisa Metuh was moved to National Hospital where he was placed on observation as at a time of this report.

Senator Sheriff who watched keenly as the national Publicity Secretary was being assisted out of the NWC hall turned to the national treasurer Bala Buhari who was seated to his left and said “He (Metuh) had been complaining of waist pain lately”.

Meanwhile the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu has disclosed that in view of the volatility of Borno state, the party would use membership cards during its congresses in the state.

Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff who stated this while inaugurating a nine member caretaker committee each for Kebbi and Borno States said that the new measure is to ensure that bonafide members of the party in the state are not disenfranchised.

He enjoined members of the caretaker committees in Kebbi and Borno states to ensure that the congresses were free and fair “so that we can take our party back to the people at the grass root”. In his remarks, the chairman of the Borno state caretaker committee, Alhaji Rilwan Dauda, assured the chairman that members of the committee would conduct free and fair congresses in the state in order to move the party forward.

In a related development, the National women leader of the PDP, Dr Kema Chikwe has said that she would not be contesting for any position in the party in the forthcoming convention. Speaking with journalists yesterday, Dr Chikwe said she wants to leave the stage for other younger women to come in, nothing that she had already set a standard that whoever would take over from her would use to operate.

Vanguard