Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former governors, and members of the National Working Committee (NWC), ended a crucial meeting on Sunday night without resolving key internal disputes threatening the party?s unity ahead of its upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and national convention.

Sources told Daily Trust that contentious issues included the continued tenure of Ambassador Umar Damagum as acting national chairman, the leadership tussle over the national secretary position between Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, and the recent spate of defections plaguing the opposition party.

Party insiders revealed that the governors want these matters resolved before the NEC meeting scheduled for May 27 and the national convention in August, to ensure a stable leadership transition.

However, despite the consensus among most governors to replace Anyanwu?who contested and lost the 2023 Imo State governorship election?with a nominee from the South-East, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is reportedly insisting that Anyanwu be allowed to complete his tenure.

A source said, ?The governors wanted the meeting to ratify the decisions they made in Oyo State, similar to what the NWC did. But Wike?s loyalists disagreed. He insists that both Damagum and Anyanwu should be allowed to complete their tenures. He arrived last at the meeting and was the first to leave?clearly unhappy with the proposals.?

The source added that, in the interest of party unity, governors may be compelled to concede on Anyanwu?s issue. ?Everyone is hoping that Saraki and his committee can resolve the grey areas.?

Origin of crisis

The current impasse traces back to March 2023, after the PDP?s loss in the presidential election. The NWC appointed Damagum as acting chairman following a Benue State High Court order dated March 27, 2023, restraining Dr Iyorchia Ayu from parading himself as chairman.

Ayu had earlier been suspended by his ward in Benue State for alleged anti-party activities. His removal intensified intra-party calls for restructuring, particularly from Wike and his G5 faction, who argued that with Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate from the North, the party chairmanship should rotate to the South.

Senator Anyanwu, the substantive national secretary, stepped aside to contest the Imo governorship election on the PDP platform in November 2023 but lost to APC incumbent Hope Uzodimma. Before the election, the South-East zonal leadership of the party nominated Ude-Okoye as his replacement.

However, Anyanwu returned after the election and insisted on reclaiming his position, sparking a legal battle. In October 2023, a High Court in Enugu ordered the PDP to replace Anyanwu with Ude-Okoye. Although the Supreme Court has since ruled on the matter, both camps interpret the judgement in their favour, leaving the issue unresolved.

Saraki-led committee to mend rifts

Unable to break the deadlock, the meeting resolved to establish a seven-member reconciliation committee headed by former Senate President Bukola Saraki. The committee is tasked with unifying aggrieved members ahead of the NEC and national convention.

The decision was disclosed by the chairman of the PDP Governors? Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, after the closed-door meeting.

Governor Mohammed told journalists: ?We discussed existential issues affecting our party, as reported in the media, and agreed to chart a clear path forward ahead of the May 27 NEC and the August convention. We set up a committee headed by former Senate President Saraki to ensure reconciliation for a rancour-free convention.?

Saraki, in a Facebook post, named the committee members as Governors Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), and Peter Mbah (Enugu), along with Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, and former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

?We had a fruitful deliberation,? Saraki wrote. ?As part of the decisions taken, the committee has been charged with preparing for a harmonious NEC meeting and convention.?

Amid the turmoil, PDP?s Board of Trustees (BoT), chaired by Senator Adolphus Wabara, sought to downplay the wave of defections.

Speaking during the inauguration of 33 new BoT members on Monday, Wabara said, ?The God of PDP never sleeps and will never sleep. PDP shall rise again.? He described the defections as a phase that would soon pass, adding that the new board members symbolise a ?new beginning and reaffirmation of our commitment to the values of our party?.

On his part, former PDP South-West vice chairman, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, now a BoT member, said the return of some G5 members to the BoT is a sign that the party is rebounding.

Among those inaugurated were former governors Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

But Engineer Conrad Terhide Utaan, a national chairmanship aspirant from Benue State, said PDP governors must be more courageous in handling the Damagum and Anyanwu disputes if the party is to survive.

He warned that the Atiku and Wike factions must be reconciled or risk further disintegration: ?If the Atiku bloc exits, there will be nothing left. The Wike bloc is already embedded in the APC.?

Mallam Umar Sani, a PDP chieftain and former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, said many PDP governors are uneasy with Atiku Abubakar?s expected presidential ambition.

He said Atiku?s perceived dominance in past primaries?defeating many governors in Port Harcourt in 2018 and again in Abuja in 2022?is fuelling concerns.

On his part, Dr. Sam Amadi, director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, said the PDP cannot function effectively as an opposition party while key figures like Wike openly support the ruling APC.

?To be a credible opposition, the PDP must expel members working for President Tinubu?s re-election,? Amadi said.

He urged governors to take control and initiate a thorough house-cleaning. ?You can?t have a leading opposition figure actively campaigning for the incumbent president. It makes the PDP look like a joke,? he added.

Wike talks tough on Anyanwu, zoning of presidency

But the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is a central figure in the party?s power struggle, has doubled down on his support for Samuel Anyanwu, insisting that the embattled secretary remains the legitimate occupant of the office based on the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Speaking during a television interview on Monday, Wike warned that any attempt to sideline Anyanwu could trigger legal consequences that would destabilise the PDP. He also threatened to sue the party if anyone other than Anyanwu signs official correspondence, including the notice for the NEC meeting and convention, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

?The Supreme Court has given judgment setting aside the Court of Appeal decision. That means Anyanwu remains the national secretary,? Wike said. ?If another person signs INEC documents, I will go to court. You will put PDP in a serious quagmire.?

Wike argued that the party risks legal challenges over the validity of its NEC meeting if convened without Anyanwu issuing the formal notice.

?Who issues the notice for NEC? If it?s not Anyanwu, we will challenge it. The party?s constitution says that only the national chairman and secretary can sign correspondence to INEC. If someone else signs it, that process will be nullified in court,? he warned.

The minister accused some party leaders of selfishly misinterpreting the Supreme Court ruling to serve personal interests and urged stakeholders to prioritise stability.

?Why take such a risk when Anyanwu?s tenure ends in December?? he asked. ?Some of the people pushing for his removal are afraid about who will sign NEC notices or submit INEC lists.?

Wike reiterated his belief that justice and fairness are essential to PDP?s survival. ?If this matter is not handled properly, it will bring PDP to an end,? he said.

Speaking on the party?s zoning arrangements, Wike challenged the PDP to openly declare which region would produce the presidential candidate in 2027, warning that any attempt to zone it to the North again would be unacceptable.

?They can?t zone the presidency to the North?no,? he said. ?I told them, their selfishness can kill a system.?

Referring to the Sunday night meeting with PDP governors and stakeholders, the FCT Minister said, ?Many discussions were held. We?re waiting to see whether what was agreed upon will be implemented. If it is not, I won?t accept it. Justice must be done. I am a member of the party, but I must speak out?this injustice will not stand.?

?It?s in our constitution; it?s our tradition?when one zone takes the national chairmanship, another zone takes the presidential ticket. But because of selfish interests, they manipulated the process. They said, ?Don?t worry; we?ll do zoning later.? Before we knew it, some people had already purchased nomination forms. We laughed. We knew they didn?t want zoning.?

He recounted how the north ended up producing both the national chairman and the presidential candidate in 2023, contrary to the party?s tradition.

Wike said he had confronted party leaders about the 2027 ticket: ?I asked them, where are you zoning your presidential candidate in 2027? Some of the smart ones, who have personal interests, said, ?It?s not time yet.? I told them, ?You see? How many times do you think you can play this game and get away with it???

He also accused party leaders of planning to repeat the same tactics at the forthcoming convention. ?You want the South to produce the national chairman again so that the North can still take the presidential ticket? Why not come out and clearly say the presidential candidate will also come from the South? But you don?t want that. You want to play the same game you played in 2023?and when it backfired, you blamed others.? (Daily Trust)

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