• NEC meeting holds, affirms Anyanwu  as national secretary

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

There is palpable anxiety in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over plans by five of its governors to defect in the coming days.

Daily Sun gathered that the governors include two second term governors and others, who are in their first time.

In the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, the PDP controlled 13 states, including Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Osun and Oyo states.

Other states where the opposition party produced governors are Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, Zamfara and Plateau. However, the PDP lost Edo State in the last off-season governorship election to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recently, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevberi and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Umo Eno defected to the APC, alongside members of their Houses of Assembly, and other party bigwigs, leaving the opposition party with only 10 states.

Daily Sun gathered that the ruling party is intensifying efforts to get five of the remaining PDP governors to dump the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

A member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed to Daily Sun that the APC is working assiduously to win over some of PDP governors, especially those from the South. This is said to be a part of President Bola Tinubu’s strategy for the next general elections.

The NWC member, who pleaded anonymity, because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said APC is interested in controlling all  the Southern states to bolster President Tinubu second chances.

Nonetheless, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, has insisted that defections and unending crisis plaguing the PDP was being orchestrated from outside.

The Bauchi, who spoke at a meeting of the PDP NEC, yesterday, said: “We have been engrossed in controversies and challenges, not created by us, but created for us, and we have been navigating, unlike the other parties, irrespective of the manifestations and the perceptions there.

“The news of people leaving the party are all cosmetic. They are all created to diminish us.”

Meanwhile, the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC), yesterday, affirmed the return of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary.

The PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, who briefed journalists on the outcome of 100th NEC meeting, said the party organ would meet again on July 23 to deliberate on issues relating to the national convention.

“We have  all combined in one, we were all together, and we all agreed that Senator Anyanwu will continue to act as National Secretary. And also to bring the issue of the convention—to bring it up in the next NEC, which is slated for the 23rd of next month.”

He cautioned members of the  party to stop demarketing it, noting that “enough is enough.”

The BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, thanked members of the NWC for agreeing to work together in the interest of the party. He urged the party leaders not to allow any crack again.

“This party will never die. We thank the National Working Committee of our party for coming together once again, believing that Nigerians have enormous faith and hope in PDP.

“We shall survive. The god of politics is in this party. Allah politics is in this party. For anybody, any other party, to succeed, we have to release our God to bless them. But our God knows that PDP is the beacon of hope for this country.”

Bauchi governor and chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed,  assured that all the differences within the NWC have been resolved.

“They (NWC) met before this meeting, what you have been seeing in terms of press releases have stopped and you will not see them again. And that is what the BoT chairman is telling you. We are all on the same page, no excuse for coalition, no excuse to form any stakeholders meeting other than that of the NWC.

“We have been engrossed in controversies and challenges, not created by us, but created for us, and we have been navigating, unlike the other parties, irrespective of the manifestations and the perceptions there. The news of people leaving the party are all cosmetic. They  are all created to diminish us.”

Ahead of the meeting, there was a massive deployment of security personnel, consisting of policemen and operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), at  Wadata Plaza.

The security personnel, who were  stationed in front of the Wadata Plaza, also condoned one lane of Michael Okpara Street, where the PDP secretariat is located.

There was commotion as the security operatives, who took over the main  entrance into the party secretariat, prevented members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) from accessing the NEC Hall, where they had scheduled to meet by 10am. Some of the PDP secretariat staff protested the barring of the BoT members from accessing the venue of their meeting thereby heightening tension at the Wadata Plaza.

Former PDP national secretary, Umar Tsuari, told journalists that  the security operatives claimed to be acting on orders from the top, and that no meeting was to be allowed at the Wadata Plaza.

Consequently, the BoT was compelled to shift its meeting to the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, in the Central Business District (CBD), Abuja.

A member of the BoT and former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olobade George, wondered why party leaders cannot be allowed to meet at the secretariat.

“We must avoid that madness. What is it? Can’t we sit and talk? What is the essence of democracy? Nigerians are watching. We came to our office surrounded by police, because we wanted to have a meeting. You want to turn us to North Korea or turn this country to Russia? We will not allow it. Nigerians will not allow it.

“Of course, we will hold the meeting. Our property, the landlord was prevented from sitting down and discussing problems, family problems. They locked it. That does not mean there are no other houses. Is this the only building in Abuja?”

The PDP leader, while reacting to claims by the security personnel that they were acting based on order from above, said: “Biblically, this is the voice of Jacob, but the hand of Esau. Whoever that is the thing that is  the order from above, we have had it before. I have been on both sides, military and the civil.

“So, let me please, advice, allow sleeping dogs to lie. We have more problems, economic, financial, education, and infrastructure. They should face that.

“If they say order from above, where is the above? That is while I said the voice of Jacob but the hand of Esau.” The PDP has been in crisis over moves by the South East chapter to replace Anyanwu as national secretary.

South East  PDP, at the party’s 99th NEC, held on May 27, presented its resolution nominating former national youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, as Anyanwu’s replacement to the party organ. Regardless, the consideration of the South East PDP resolution was deferred to June 30.

However, at a meeting between party leaders and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the rejection of the opposition party’s correspondence inviting the Commission to the 100th NEC meeting, Damagum announced the reinstatement of Anyanwu as national secretary and shelved the NEC meeting.

Last Sunday, the NWC held parallel meetings presided over by Damagum and Taofeek Arapaja. While the Damagum said the 100th NEC remained cancelled, the group leader by the latter insisted that a meeting of the party organ must proceed as scheduled.

However, yesterday morning, the PDP Governors Forum, met with the NWC members, at the Bauchi Governors Lodge, where the decision to go ahead with the 100th NEC meeting was reached.