From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, appealed to its stakeholders in the South East chapter not to defect, as controversy over the position of national secretary continues to linger.
The Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, made the appeal when leaders of the South East PDP visited the national secretariat to convey to the party their resolution on the national secretary position.
This is as the South East leader implored the PDP leadership not to ignore its position on the disputed national secretary position, which was zoned to the area.
The South East leaders had, last week, threatened to reconsider their membership of the opposition party if the leadership fails to accept their nominee for the national secretary position.
The PDP has been on the edge since the beginning of the year over controversy surrounding the national secretary position.
In 2023, the South East chapter of the opposition party had nominated former national youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, as replacement for Senator Sam Anyanwu, after the latter emerged as candidate in the last Imo State governorship election.
The move to replace Anyanwu later became a subject of litigation with an Enugu State High Court affirming Ude-Okoye’s nomination and mandating PDP NWC to swear him in as national secretary.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, affirmed the judgment of the lower Court. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court, in its verdict on a Appeal filed by Anyanwu, nullified the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal, and upheld the minority judgment, which stated that the lower court had no jurisdiction over the issue, as it was an internal affair of the party.
Last month, the PDP governors, after a meeting in Ibadan, reiterated their support for Anyanwu’s ouster and proposed that the deputy national secretary, Setonji Koshedo, should assume office as acting national secretary, pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive national secretary from the South East.
While Anyanwu and his supporters have continued to insist that he remains the national secretary, the South East PDP leadership met in Enugu last week and re-nominated the Ude-Okoye as its choice for the position of party scribe, and caution the party not to treat their nomination with levity.
However, Arapaja, who stood in for the PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, while receiving the South East delegation led by Senate Minority Whip, Osita Ngwu, said the threat to dump the opposition party is akin to “a landlord running out of his own house because the house is leaking.
“I know you are not happy and I understand why you are not happy. But even as you are angry out there, we can find a solution.
“There is a solution. This is the only party that belongs to the people. It is the only party where you can express your opinion. It is just like that in any family.”
Arapaja, while expressing optimism that the party will overcome its challenges, assured the South East delegation that the National Working Committee (NWC) will study their resolution and forward same to the National Executive Committee (NEC), which is scheduled to meet on May 27.
“This resolution will be discussed at the end of the day, during our next meeting. We will decide on the way forward, and that decision will be forwarded to the NEC which I am quite sure you know is fast approaching.
“We will look at it, we will do justice to it, we will do our best. But you know, when we transmit it to the NEC, which I am quite sure most of the members are present there, some of our leaders who are not here as well, who are members of NEC as well, so we can find a lasting solution jointly to it.”
Senator Ngwu, while presenting the resolution to Arapaja, explained that the that PDP zonal leaders at a meeting in Enugu State Government, nominated Ude-Okoye for the national secretary position, in line with the directive of the NWC for the South East to present a nominee for the position.
“I need to remind us, or make it clear, that the position of the South East on this issue has always been to find a pathway to a lasting resolution of the impacts and crisis in the PDP. We are looking for a lasting peace so that we can perform better in the upcoming and subsequent elections.
“We are asking you to look at a zone who has been the backdrop and backbone of the PDP; a zone who has delivered all the National Assembly members, all governors to the PDP in the past; a zone who is eager to redeem its past glory. We are praying that the request of this zone should not be jeopardized. Let us look at it based on the point of its merits.
“We are not here to make another request, but we are speaking to our consciences so that whatever decision that is taken at the end should be for the interest of the party and a position that is going to support us; a position that is going to lift the morale of the members of this great party towards a sustainable growth and a path of recovery.”
Members of the South East delegation included Senator Austin Akonbundu, Iyom Josephine Anenih, the PDP national vice chairman, South East, Ali Odefa amongst others.