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S’East PDP threatens to dump party if denied national secretary position

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8 hours ago

•It’s time to stand together —Mbah •We’ve been trampled upon —Wabara

The crisis currently rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party has worsened as the South-East caucus of the party has threatened mass exit from the party if its choice of Hon. Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary is not respected.

This was even as the governor of Enugu State and leader of the PDP in the zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, said it was time for the zone to speak with one voice, while the chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator AdolphusWabara, and former governor of Imo State, Chief AchikeUdenwa, expressed their displeasure over what they described as the party’s disrespect for the region.

The zone vented its displeasure in a communique read by the zonal chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, at the end of a meeting by the South-East Zonal Executive at the Government House, Enugu on Wednesday.

It said the meeting was convened to nominate a candidate to complete the remaining term of the position of national secretary in line with the directive of the party’s National Working Committee during its 600th meeting in Abuja.

Reading the communique, Odefa said, “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.

“Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”

The South-East PDP, however, regretted that it had to go through the process of nominating Udeh-Okoye severally since October 2023, and urged the NWC to not only immediately ratify his nomination, but also ensure that Arch. SetonjiKoshoedo effectively occupies the Office of the National Secretary in acting capacity pending Udeh-Okoye’s ratification by the NEC.

The South-East PDP, however, threatened to review its continued membership of the party should its position suffer further delay despite its agelong loyalty to the PDP.

“The South-East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP from inception. In PDP’s near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the party.

“Currently, while the party has been losing key members post-2023 general elections, the South-East PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the party by rallying major opposition figures such as in Enugu where the Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial candidate, two LP House of Representatives members, numerous members of the House of Assembly, among other stalwarts into the PDP fold.

“Therefore, 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 to 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.”

Wabara, on his part, said it was in order to review the region’s relationship with the party should what he described as trampling on the zone by the party persists.

“We have been trampled upon, not taken seriously. If such a position were vacant in the South-South, it would not be like this. And now, it came to us. I mean, the usual thing is to play politics with the Igbo man.

“Yes, we may have to reconsider our stand as far as the party is concerned. But I trust the NWC,” he stated.

Udenwa, on his part, said, “We are expecting that this issue will be finally ironed out once and for all. We do not want to be taken for granted by anybody again.”

Meanwhile, in a bold declaration aimed at resolving the lingering leadership dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the management and staff of the party’s National Secretariat have thrown their weight behind Arch. Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary.

In a press statement issued Tuesday titled “Clarion Call for Stability and Survival of Our Party”, the staff affirmed their “unalloyed loyalty” to the recommendation of the PDP Governors’ Forum, which had endorsed Koshoedo to steer the affairs of the office pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive National Secretary.

According to the statement, this position aligns with the resolution of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) at its 600th meeting on April 29, 2025, which directed Koshoedo, who is Deputy National Secretary, to act in line with Section 36(2) of the PDP Constitution.

That section empowers the Deputy National Secretary to act in the role whenever so directed.

The internal crisis around the position of National Secretary erupted following Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s emergence as the PDP’s governorship candidate in Imo State in 2023.

The South East Zonal Caucus had nominated Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as his replacement, a move later affirmed by both the Enugu High Court and the Court of Appeal.

The Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment on March 21, 2025, ruled that the matter of party leadership was an internal affair, beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.

While Senator Anyanwu interpreted the ruling as nullifying earlier judgments, the NWC insisted that the decision confirmed the party’s right to recognize Udeh-Okoye’s nomination, and subsequently moved to stabilize the situation by appointing Koshoedo in acting capacity pending full ratification.

The statement by the Secretariat staff stressed that the prolonged dispute had caused “damaging media narratives,” disrupted party operations, and threatened the PDP’s survival.

They warned that further instability would undermine the credibility of the party’s internal processes, particularly in the lead-up to the NEC meeting scheduled for May 27, 2025.

The staff also commended INEC for recognizing Koshoedo in his acting capacity, despite what they described as “false narratives” to the contrary. They acknowledged Senator Anyanwu’s contributions to the party over the years but urged him to put the PDP’s collective interest above personal ambition.

“We believe that the NWC’s directive that Arch. Setonji Koshoedo acts as National Secretary is in the overall interest of the stability of our party,” the statement read.

“There is no sacrifice too high for any individual to make for the good of our party.”

They further urged Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, to ensure that the upcoming NEC meeting goes ahead as planned to address critical issues and reaffirm the party’s founding values of unity, discipline, and loyalty.

The declaration was unanimously endorsed by all staff members of the PDP National Secretariat.