We Will Leave The Party If Anyanwu Is Retained As National Sec – South East PDP
The crisis plaguing the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) got messier on Wednesday, as the South-east caucus of the party threatened to quit en masse if its nominee, Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye, was not returned as PDP National Secretary.
That was as the management and staff of the PDP national secretariat expressed concern over the state of the party, lamenting that in the last one year, the party has been engulfed in a disturbing leadership crisis, particularly, over the office of National Secretary.
Speaking on the plight of the South-east in PDP, Enugu State Governor and leader of the PDP in the zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, said it was time for the zone to speak with one voice.
Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, also expressed anger over what they described as the party’s disrespect for the region.
The geopolitical zone vented its displeasure in a communique read by the zonal chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, at the end of a meeting of the South East Zonal Executive, at Government House, Enugu.
It said the meeting was convened to nominate a candidate to complete the remaining term in the position of National Secretary in line with the directive of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) during its 600th meeting in Abuja.
Odefa said, “The South East ZEC 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 ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
The South East PDP regretted that it had to go through the process of nominating Udeh-Okoye several times since October 2023. It urged the NWC to not only immediately ratify his nomination, but also ensure that Arch. Setonji Koshoedo effectively occupied the office of National Secretary in acting capacity pending Udeh-Okoye’s ratification by the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC).
The South East PDP threatened to review its membership of the party should its position suffer further delay, despite its age long loyalty to PDP.
The communique said, “The South East 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 South East PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the party by rallying major opposition figures such as in Enugu, where the Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial 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 South East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves. This would bring to a closure the needless lingering dispute over the matter.
“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward.”
Wabara said it was in order to review the region’s relationship with the party should what he described as trampling on the zone by the party persist.
He stated, “We have been trampled upon, not taken seriously. If such a position were vacant in the South-south, 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 also 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.”