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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The South East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has once again nominated Chief Sunday Udeh-Okoye to serve out the remaining tenure as the National Secretary of the party, warning that any further delay in affirming their choice could force the zone to reconsider its relationship with the PDP.
This decision was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the South East ZEC meeting held at the Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday.
The meeting, which was convened following a directive from the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), deliberated extensively on the issue of filling the National Secretary position zoned to the South East.
The communiqué signed by the South East Zonal Chairman of the Party, Chief Ali Odefa, recalled that “on March 21, 2025, the Supreme Court brought to a close the protracted legal tussle over the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.”
It emphasised that the apex court ruled that “the issue of the leadership of a political party was the internal affairs of such a party and that the courts and INEC had no jurisdiction and ought not to interfere.”
It noted that the PDP Governors’ Forum, after reviewing the Supreme Court judgment, met on April 14, 2025, in Ibadan and “recommended that the South East PDP should nominate a candidate, who would serve out the remaining tenure of the National Secretary of the Party zoned to the region.”
In response to this recommendation, the NWC, during its 600th meeting held on April 29, 2025, directed the South East ZEC “to nominate a candidate for the Office of the National Secretary, accordingly.”
The communiqué stated that 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.”
It therefore “unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
It further urged the NWC “to uphold its decision at its 600th meeting on April 29, 2025, by ensuring that the Deputy National Secretary of the PDP functions as the Acting National Secretary pending the ratification of the nominee for the Office of the National Secretary by NEC in line with the recommendations of the PDP Governors’ Forum as adopted by the NWC.”
The committee decried what it described as a repeated and unfair burden placed on the South East in filling this office, stating: “The South East ZEC further noted that the zone has had to go through this process for the umpteenth time, unlike what obtains in the filling of vacant national offices by other zones.”
It recalled that “the South East ZEC met in October 2023 and nominated Rt. Hon. Udeh-Okoye to serve out the remaining term of the National Secretary. This position was reaffirmed during the February 20, 2024 meeting of the PDP South ZEC. We also reiterated this during the meeting of ZEC in Enugu on Friday, January 25, 2025.”
The communiqué pointed out the South East’s longstanding loyalty to the PDP, noting that “in its near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the Party.”
It highlighted that despite the general decline in PDP’s fortunes post-2023, “the South East PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the Party by rallying major opposition figures into the PDP fold.”
“In Enugu State, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party is back in the PDP. Two Members of the House of Representatives are equally back in the PDP from Labour Party. Furthermore, PDP seats in the Enugu State House of Assembly have grown from 10 at the inception of the Assembly to 20 today.”
The communiqué concluded with a warning: “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.”
