South East PDP Hints On Mass Exit Over National Secretary Crisis

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) assumed a new dimension yesterday as the South East caucus threatened mass exit from the party if its choice of Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye is not recognised as the national secretary.

This comes as Enugu State governor and PDP leader in the zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, said it was time for the zone to speak with one voice.

In like manner, chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former Imo State governor, Chief Achike Udenwa, kicked against the party’s disrespect for party leaders from the region.

PDP leaders from the zone made the threat in a communique read by the zonal chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, after a meeting of the South East Zonal Executive (ZEC) at the Government House, Enugu on Wednesday.

They 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, (NWC) during its 600th meeting in Abuja.

The communique read by 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. Setonji Koshoedo 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,” the communique concluded.

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

“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, Udenwa 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, the management and staff of the PDP national secretariat, have expressed concern over the tussle for the national secretary office.

In a statement, 83 staff members led by director of Administration, Alh Gurama Bawa and director of Publicity, Nnorom Chinwe Ihuoma, backed Arch. Setonji Koshoedo, acting national secretary of PDP.

The staffers who distanced themselves from Anyanwu, said they are aware that INEC has acknowledged Koshoedo as acting national secretary.

“Moreover, we are aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received and acknowledged Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of the PDP.

“We are also aware that INEC is receiving and attending to correspondences of our party signed by Arch Setonji Koshoedo, contrary to false narratives by certain quarters.”

They added that as much as they fully recognise and appreciate Anyanwu’s roles and contributions to the party, “But at this moment we strongly believe that there is no sacrifice too high for any individual to make for the overall interest of our party.”