Another threat, this time from the East, has rocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This came yesterday barely three days after the party leadership resolved to move ahead in unity with the appointment of the Bukola Saraki panel.
The Southeast Caucus of the party threatened to pull out of the main opposition party unless the former National Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, is appointed as National Secretary.
Noting that the zonal caucus endorsed Udeh-Okoye for the position last year, it warned that PDP risked a mass exit that would decimate it in the Southeast if its demand is ignored.
The zonal caucus, which re-nominated Udeh-Okoye, vowed to resist any attempt by the party leadership to turn it down.
According to the caucus, Udeh-Okoye was nominated to complete the tenure of the national secretary in line with the directive of the National Working Committee (NWC)during its 600th meeting in Abuja.
Southeast PDP leaders, including Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa, and National Vice Chairman (Southeast) Chief Ali Odefa, said the party could only take the regional caucus for granted to its peril.
They vent their anger against the party leadership during the meeting of the Southeast Zonal Executive Committee held at the Government House, Enugu, the state capital.
Mbah, leader of the party in the zone, called for the sustenance of regional unity, adding that the zone should speak with one voice in its resolve to realise its objective.
Wabara and Udenwa lamented what they described as the PDP’s disrespect for Southeast, warning that it has implications.
But workers at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja, reiterated their support for the choice of Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, as Acting National Secretary by the governors and the NWC.
The PDP leadership crisis escalated two years ago when the former Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who contested for the Imo State governorship election, returned to reclaim the position.
However, Southeast PDP leaders, who rejected Anyanwu’s claim, endorsed Udeh-Okoye as national secretary at a stakeholders’ meeting in Enugu last year.
In December, attempts by Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye to attend the BoT meeting in the capacity of Secretary led to physical fight among their aggrieved supporters.
Miffed by the violence, the BoT temporarily shifted its meeting from the party secretariat to a high brow hotel in the FCT.
Although the leadership tussle shifted to the court, the Supreme Court, which did not affirm the claims and counter-claims, ruled that the onus is on the party leadership to resolve the crisis because it is a party affair.
To restore nomalcy, the governors resolved to do away with the two antagonistic claims of Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye, and directed Koshoedo to act as secretary till the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 27.
Wike, former governor of Rivers State, kicked against Anyanwu’s removal, describing it as unjust and vow to challenge the action in court if Anyanwu is prevented from participating in the NEC meeting.
Odefa, who read the communique of the caucus meeting, said peace can only return to the party if Udeh-Okoye’s nomination is ratified by the national leadership.
He said: “The Southeast Zonal Executive Committee exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party.
“Consequently, the NWC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
He lamented that the Southeast PDP had to repeat the process of nominating Udeh-Okoye, urging the NWC to immediately ratify his nomination.
He emphasised that Southeast PDP, which has been loyal to the PDP, would review its membership of the platform, if its demand is rejected.
The communique reads: “The Southeast has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP from inception. In PDP’s near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the party.
“Currently, while the party has been losing key members post-2023 general election, the Southeast PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the party by rallying major opposition figures such as in Enugu where the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, two LP House of Representatives members, numerous members of the House of Assembly, among other stalwarts into the PDP fold.
“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the Southeast PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves. This would bring to a closure to the needless lingering dispute over the matter.
“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the Southeast PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward.”
Wabara described the aloofness of the national leadership to the Southeast’s demand as an attempt to trample on the interest of the zone.
He said: “We have been trampled upon, not taken seriously. If such a position were vacant in the Southsouth, it would not be like this.
“And now, it came to us. I mean, the usual thing is to play politics with the Igbo man. Yes, we may have to reconsider our stand as far as the party is concerned. But I trust the NWC.”
Udenwa said: “We are expecting that this issue will be finally ironed out once and for all. We do not want to be taken for granted by anybody again.”
Also, workers at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat yesterday supported the choice of Deputy National Secretary Setonji Koshoedo as national secretary by tge governors and the National Working Committee (NWC).
The National Director of Administration, Gurama Bawa, an engineer, told reporters in Abuja that the decision was in the best interest of the party.
Bawa said: “After a thorough consideration, the management and staff of the PDP National Secretariat unanimously align with and declare unalloyed loyalty to the recommendation of the PDP Governor’s Forum as adopted by the NWC in recognising and working with Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of our party in line with the provisions of the PDP Constitution.”
“We believe that the NWC’s directive that Arch Setonji Koshoedo acts as National Secretary is in the overall interest of the stability of our party being the best step at the moment to restore the confidence of members of the party and preserve the integrity of our internal processes given the sensitive nature of the office of the National Secretary in the operation of a political party.
“Moreover, we are aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received and acknowledged Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of the PDP.
“We are also aware that INEC is receiving and attending to correspondences of our party signed by Arch Setonji Koshoedo, contrary to false narratives by certain quarters.”
Bawa, who spoke on behalf of the 83-member staff however, lauded Anyanwu’s contributions, particularly in terms of welfare.
However, he there is no sacrifice too high for any individual to make for the overall interest of the party.
He added: “The PDP gave him the platform from which he rose from local government chairman, to senator and also elected as the National Secretary of our Party.”
Bawa, who pledged the workers’ loyalty to Acting National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum, urgef him to ensure that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting holds as scheduled on May, 27.
He said this would enable the party to address pertinent issues and reassert its values of unity, discipline, loyalty and strict adherence to its constitution.
