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-Wike groub back Anyanwu
By Myke Agunwa
There seems to be no end in sight to the crisis ravaging the office of the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as both Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye are still tenaciously laying claims to the Office of National Secretary despite a Supreme Court judgement.
The South-East caucus on Tuesday at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, presented a communique to the leadership of the party, reaffirming its support to Ude-Okoye and threatened to reconsider its relationship with the party if it fails to adopt the position of the zone.
The leader of the delegation and Senate Minority Whip, Sen. Osita Ngwu, while presenting the communique, said that the zone acted in accordance with the party’s bye-law and precedence.
“Mr. Chairman, from our communique, which is in this report that I am going to hand over to you, and in the meeting that was recently held by the South-East Executive Committee of the party at the Zonal Office, we unanimously agreed and nominated the former youth leader of the party, Honorable S.K. Ude-Okoye, to be our nominee for the position of the National Secretary of our great party, the PDP.
“We are going to give you this report, and our prayers and our urge and our appeal is that this party should carefully look through other precedents that have been set in replacement of National Working Committee members or other officers in the PDP that has been done. We are not trying to set a precedent. We are not trying to do a new thing because precedent has been set.
“We are asking you to look at a zone that has been the backbone of the PDP, a zone that has delivered all the National Assembly members, all governors to the PDP in the past, a zone that 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.
“Let it be a stepping stone in our urge and our drive to reposition our party. 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 in 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 sustainable growth and a path of recovery” he said.
Responding, National Chairman of the Party Amb. Umar Damagum said that the party will look into the communique and take the appropriate decision. He said that the party has the capacity to resolve all its problems and called on the zone not to fulfill its threat of exiting from the party.
Represented the party’s National Vice Chairman South Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, the chairman said, “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 there is something that I read somewhere, but I will ask that you will re-consider your position with the PDP. You didn’t mention it here but I think everybody already read it. Well, I know you are not happy with the situation, and it’s inevitable in any political party.
“We’ll do our best, we’ll fix the problem, and I know we can do it, together we can do it. There is a solution. This is the only party that belongs to the people. Yes, it doesn’t belong to the anybody. It’s the only party where you can feel peaceful, you can express your opinion. So, I want to appeal that we can do it, we can resolve it. And I know we will resolve it. And I know, and I’m quite sure, that PDP will overcome”.
Meanwhile, the Wike’s faction also reaffirmed its support for backed Anyanwu at a meeting in Abuja on Monday.
In a press conference, the group said, “The Supreme Court has settled, with finality, the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, and it is on record that the INEC has, rightly, given effect to the said judgment, which is the right thing to do.
“We hereby serve a note of advice that, in the administration of the PDP, it is impossible to ignore the lawful status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP and any attempt to stand against this clear position of the law will cause irreversible political damages because INEC would not give effect to the outcome of conventions, congresses and primary elections that do not have the signature of the lawful National Secretary”.
The office of the National Secretary of the party has been under contention since the party’s National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu picked the governorship ticket of the party for Imo State. The zone thereafter nominated Ude-Okoye as replacement for Anyanwu, arguing the he ought to have resigned since he became candidate of the party.
But Anyanwu in a counter move, approached a State High Court in Enugu and later Court of Appeal, arguing that it was not explicit in the party’s constitution that he will resign after he became the candidate of the party but lost in both courts.
However, the Supreme Court in a final judgment on the matter, said that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter and asked both candidates to fall back on the party’s constitution and other internal mechanism to resolve its leadership crises.
The apex court judgement created more chasm as some party stakeholders including the PDP governor’s forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) endorsed Ude-Okoye while other party blocs including former governors of the G-6, loyal to Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, backed Anyanwu.
However, the NWC after several consultations, appointed the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Arc. Sentonji Koshoedo to occupy the office of National Secretary while permanent solution will be worked out before the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party slated to hold in May 27.
Present at the event were National Vice Chairman South East, Chief Ali Odefa, former National Organising Secretary Sen. Austin Akobundu, former National Woman Leader Iyom Josephine Anenih and other party stalwarts.