PDP: Mbah, Wabara, others absent at South East stakeholders parley

• Stakeholders nullify zoning of offices

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worsened, yesterday, as some major stakeholders from the South East disowned a meeting of the Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) held in Enugu last week.

The stakeholders, in a communique, read by the South East Zonal Legal Adviser, Ukpai Ukairo, said the Enugu meeting was not a meeting of the organ of the PDP, as it was allegedly not properly convened. Therefore, they resolved that the zoning of offices and all decisions taken at the meeting was a nullity.

According to them, the National Vice Chairman, Ali Odefa, who convened the meeting has allegedly been expelled from the party and therefore has no right to call a meeting of the PDP.

This is as Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees  (BoT), Adolphus Wabara, were among party big wigs absent from the stakeholders parley, which was held at the party national secretariat in Abuja.

The South East PDP has been polarised following the nomination of former National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye by leaders of the zone as a replacement for Anyanwu as national secretary, after the latter emerged as candidate in the last Imo governorship poll.

Last December,  the Court of Appeal Enugu Division, affirmed the judgment of an Enugu High Court, which ousted Anyanwu as  National Secretary.

While the embattled party secretary has appealed to the Supreme Court, as well as filed for a stay of execution, PDP leaders within and outside the  South East are torn between him and Ude-Okoye.

Last week, Odefa held a meeting of the party in the zone, where offices were zoned amongst states in the area, ahead of the forthcoming zonal congress.

Nevertheless, the stakeholders  in their communique  maintained  that “it was resolved that the meeting which was held at Government House Enugu purporting to be a meeting of the Zonal Executive Committee was not a meeting of the structure of the PDP in the constitution of the party arising from the following :

“There was no zonal working committee meeting presiding the ZWC meeting and accordingly no memorandum was produced in accordance with article 27(7) of the PDP constitution.

“There was no proper summoning of the ZEC meeting, because as that time there was no person, lawfully who has the power to summon such a meeting, on the ground that Chief Alif Odefa who could have summoned the meeting was no longer the National  Vice Chairman, because he has been expelled as a member of the party following the judgment of the Federal High Court and the decision of relevant organs if the  party.

“As today that judgment of the Federal High Court has not been stayed and in addition , he has not filed  an appeal

“The purported zoning of office is also not a decision of the party because the meeting was not a meeting of the structure of the party.”

Earlier, the PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, who presided the meeting, which was was attended by some members of the Board of Trustee ( BoT), including Chief Chris Uba, PDP 2023  governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Odii, amongst  others said the parley was at the instance of National Working Committee ( NWC) members from the zone.

He explained that it was aimed at providing stakeholders an opportunity to brainstorm on issues affecting the opposition party in the zone.

According to him, the meeting was scheduled to  provide an inclusive platform for stakeholders after the alleged exclusion of some stakeholders from  an earlier meeting in Enugu.

Anyanwu, while speaking on the crisis trailing his continued stay as secretary, explained that he had notified the party that he would be away from office for three months to enable him concentrate on his campaign.

According to him, on the eve of the Imo governorship election, he was served with a court judgment from an Enugu High Court, sacking him as secretary. He informed the gathering that he has already appealed the Court of Appeal judgment that affirmed the verdict of the Enugu High Court, as well as filed for stay of execution.

Consequently, he maintained that he remains the national secretary of the opposition party, until the court rules otherwise.

Anyanwu who blamed Odefa for allegedly instigating the crisis over the national secretary position, said the latter has been expelled by his ward and should stop parading himself as an official of the PDP.

“He has not appealed the matter. There is no stay  so he has no locus to preside over a meeting of PDP as national vice chairman until he vacates that judgment or obtains a stay,” the party scribe stated.