PDP Leadership Succumbs, Agrees To Hold NEC Meeting On April 18

One year after it held the last  meeting, the Peoples Democratic Party finally fixed April 18 this year to hold its much expected National Executive Committee (NEC).

The party leadership has also  appointed party executives in 20 states and local councils and wards ahead of the meeting. The newly appointed executive members would manage their positions for three months.

The refusal of the Ambassador Illiya Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) to call a NEC meeting which statutorily is supposed to be held quarterly has caused friction in the party.

Former Benue State Governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam had on Wednesday lambasted the party leadership for refusing to hold NEC meeting, accusing it of being controlled by subterranean forces.

Earlier, PDP chieftain Segun Showunmi had taken the party leadership to court for refusing to conduct the meeting one year after the last one was held.

Also PDP governors, last month, directed the NWC to hold the meeting as soon as possible in order to reposition the party to be effective.

However, a statement by the national publicity secretary of PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba, yesterday said “The National Working Committee (NWC) of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has scheduled the 98th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our Party for Thursday, April 18, 2024.

“The NEC meeting comes after the meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) on the same date, Thursday, April 18, 2024.

“The BoT meeting will hold at the NEC Hall of the PDP National Secretariat at 10:00 am after which the NEC meeting commences at 2:00 pm at the same venue.

“Consequently, the meeting of the National Caucus of our Party has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, 2024.”

The NWC urged all members of NEC, BoT and the National Caucus to please take note of the scheduled dates accordingly.

In a related development, the NWC   appointed party executives in 20 states, local government and wards.

The national leadership of the party said the new executives will run affairs of the party in those states for three months, the national publicity secretary of PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said in a statement.

He said the appointments were made  based “on the provisions of Section 29 (2) (b) of the Constitution of our Party on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC), approved the appointment of the Executives whose tenures have expired in some State, Local Government and Ward chapters to serve as Caretaker Committees in the affected States, LGAs and Wards respectively.

“The Caretaker Committees have been mandated to run the affairs of our Party at their appropriate levels for a period of 3 (three) months”

The states where the  appointments were made are  Abia, LGA: With effect from March 22, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 15, 2024;

Akwa Ibom-   LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024 ; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024;

Bauchi – LGA: With effect from March 22, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024;

Bayelsa-   State: With effect from March 23, 2024; LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024

Benue-  LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024

Cross River – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024

Delta-   LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024

Ekiti – Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024; Enugu-    LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024

Gombe-    State: With effect from March 23, 2024; LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024

Imo- LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024; Jigawa-     Ward: With effect from March 16, 2024

Kaduna –   Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024;  Niger   –  Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024; Ondo  – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024

Plateau-  LGA: With effect from March 23, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024;  Rivers   State: With effect from March 21, 2024; LGA: With effect from March 18, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024

Sokoto-     Ward: With effect from March 16, 2024; Taraba- Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024;  FCT-    LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024

The party’s NWC added that in situations where vacancies occurred in the respective Excos due to death, defection and/or resignation, no replacement should be effected for such vacancies in the Caretakers Committees.

“The NWC charges all leaders, critical stakeholders and members of our great Party to continue to work together to ensure the stability, growth and success of our Party in their respective States, Local Government Areas and Wards, “ it added.