The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (BoT) would today, Wednesday meet over the lingering crisis rocking the party.
It was gathered that the lingering crisis over who is the rightful person to occupy the position of the National Secretary will top the agenda of the BoT, reports Daily Independent.
The National Secretary crisis, which involved Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye is presently at the Supreme Court.
Aside the crisis over who occupies the position of the National Secretary, the party has been having a running battle in the past months over various and personal interest. The battle has, however, succeeded in dividing the members of the party National Working Committee (NWC).
While the Acting National Chairman of the party, Amb. Umar Damagun is leading a part of the NWC, the party National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, is the voice of the other camp.
While it was alleged that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State is the head of the Ologunagba-led part of the NWC, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike is alleged to head the Damagun-led NWC.
Meanwhile, Governor Peter
Mbah, Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, Senator Austin Akobundu and some other key members yesterday shunned the meeting of critical stakeholders of South East Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held at the party National Secretariat, Abuja.
This is even as the South East leaders, who attended the critical stakeholders’ meeting condemned the crisis over who occupies the position of the party National Secretary and also passed a vote of confidence on the party National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.
The South East stakeholders, who warned of the consequences of the lingering crisis over the position of the party’s national secretary, noted that if the crisis is not resolved, the party could suffer more serious damage in the 2027 election.
The meeting which was presided over by PDP’s National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu, and attended by Board of trustees member, Chris Ubah, insisted that there was no basis for disagreement since the party is awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court on the position of the National Secretary.
He clarified that the meeting was actually called by South East members of the PDP NWC, not the national leadership.
Anyanwu, who took time to explain the genesis of the crisis over his position as national scribe, blamed the national vice Chairman in South East, Ali Odefa, for what he called political mischief.
According to him, Odefa, who has been expelled as member of the PDP is not in a position to convene any meeting of PDP members in the South East for any reason.
Anyanwu explained that he called the meeting to provide an inclusive platform after what he described as the exclusion of some stakeholders at a prior meeting presided over by Odefa in Enugu.
Explaining the genesis of his crisis, Anyanwu said, “In October, the former National Vice Chairman South East, Chief Ali Odefa went and connived with some people to remove me as the National Secretary.
“He went and convinced the governor of Enugu that our constitution says that I will resign for me to run because he knows that his tenure as National Vice Chairman is coming to an end, so he wanted to perpetuate himself in office. So he sold this idea to the governor of Enugu state, His Excellency Peter Mbah whom I met and told him that it is wrong.
“He went and printed fake electoral guidelines for primary election and took it to his excellency and he bought into it without knowing the truth. Based on that, they now came and told me that I should resign.
“On the 10th of November while I was busy preparing for my election, they went and got from a state high court in Enugu and based on this fake document, the judge gave an order that I am supposed to have resigned. They told me that someone else has been appointed, one Ude-Okoye has been appointed as National Secretary of the party.
“I was elected through a national convention and it is only through convention that I can be removed.
“They went ahead and told the governor because he is the only governor from the South East that if I become a governor, as former National Secretary of the party, that I will be too powerful and that it is better for him to continue to become the only governor from the South East.
“On the 9th of January 2025, Federal High Court Abuja gave a judgement and it was quite explicit that that I remain the national secretary of this party until 9th of December, 2025 when my tenure will elapse.”
Reading the communique of the South East stakeholders, after the meeting that last for several hours, the South East Legal Adviser of PDP, Ukpai Ukairo, said that the South East leaders have passed a vote of confidence on Anyanwu.
He added that Ali Odefa is no longer a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and should not be found in the circle of any official role within PDP.
Accordingly, “he should not have any role or play any part in any form or manner with concerning the affairs of the PDP.
By Article 27(3) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party the Zonal Executive Committee can only be summoned at the instance of the National Vice Chairman. In consideration of the fact that there is no National Vice Chairman in office the Zonal Executive Committee Meeting of the South East fixed for the 24th January, 2025 cannot be a lawful meeting of the organ of the party.
“Arising from the foretasted legal opinion, the members of the Zonal Working Committee (ZWC) from Abia, Imo and Anambra States and several statutory members of the Zonal Working Committee ignored the notice of meeting and consequently boycotted the meeting.”
