The South-East caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party has given the former Senate President Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation panel a list of conditions that will stop the defections of its leaders and members from the party.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that this happened during the closed-door meeting between the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, and the Saraki panel on Friday at the Enugu State Government House. Mbah is the leader of the party in the zone.

The caucus reportedly insisted that the National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, must be retained as the party?s National Secretary.

The group also said that the party would lose its grip on the South-East if the leadership failed to address the concerns of stakeholders from the zone.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the meeting was part of efforts to stem the tide of defections rocking the party, especially from the South-South and South-East.

Saraki, who addressed journalists after the meeting, had said, ?Frankly, we had a very useful discussion. We are going away with some of the suggestions that we have here and hopefully will work on that.?

Insiders at the meeting confided in our correspondents that Mbah lamented that the zone had not been treated fairly in party affairs.

According to a source, the governor complained that the South-East, which had for years been a strong pillar of support for the party, was not respected.

He said, ?The governor told the panel that, as a condition to sustain the dominance of the party in the region, the PDP must retain Ude-Okoye as the party?s National Secretary instead of Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

?He lamented that the zone had not been given due recognition in party affairs. The governor reminded the panel that the South-East, led by the then Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, stood firm and brought back PDP on a strong footing when the party had a crisis in 2015. The governor told the panel that the PDP leadership must give the South-East a prominent role in the party.?

Recall that the South-East PDP leaders had on May 14 issued a communique in which they threatened to exit the party if Udeh-Okoye was not retained as National Secretary.

Signed by the Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, the communique partly read, ?The South-East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP from inception. In its near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the party.

?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.

?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.?

Party crisis

The PDP has been embroiled in a protracted leadership crisis centred on the position of National Secretary, involving Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye.

The crisis began when Anyanwu, who was elected as the PDP National Secretary in 2021, contested the Imo State gubernatorial election under the party in 2023.

His participation in the election led to internal disputes within the party, with some members arguing that his candidacy effectively vacated his position as the party?s scribe.

Following the controversy, the National Executive Committee of the party asked the South-East, where Anyanwu hails from, to name his replacement.

The South-East subsequently nominated Udeh-Okoye as the new PDP scribe, a development that resulted in a legal battle.

Despite the Supreme Court?s ruling, tensions persist within the PDP, as the party?s governors nominated the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, as the acting National Secretary.

NEC meeting

Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH has exclusively gathered that the disputed position of National Secretary, zonal congresses, and the upcoming elective national convention will top the agenda at the PDP?s 99th National Executive Committee meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, at the party?s headquarters in Abuja.

A reliable source within the PDP National Working Committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that various committees were also expected to present progress reports.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed that the NEC meeting would address and resolve all outstanding issues.

The reliable source within the NWC confirmed that the party leadership was making significant efforts to ensure the meeting takes place on Tuesday.

He said, ?The more the NEC meeting is postponed, the deeper the crisis within the party becomes. That?s why the current National Working Committee, led by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, is making every effort to ensure the meeting holds as scheduled on May 27.

?A lot of work is going on behind the scenes, though it may not be visible to the public. But this time, the NEC meeting will definitely take place.?

The source acknowledged that the meeting was expected to be tense due to the number of critical issues on the agenda.

However, there is optimism that it will end well and mark a turning point for the PDP.

?We will consider the Governors? Forum?s recommendation for an early convention in August. The NEC will also receive reports from several committees, including the Disciplinary Panel and the Reconciliation Committee.

?In addition, discussions will cover the zonal congresses and the long-disputed position of National Secretary, which we expect the NEC to finally resolve. All pending matters affecting the party will be deliberated on, and appropriate resolutions will be made.?

The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed to Sunday PUNCH that the NEC meeting will hold on May 27 as planned, with all arrangements in place to address the National Secretary dispute and other pending issues.

He said, ?NEC is going to hold as scheduled on May 27. We are moving ahead with our NEC.

?Politics is all about interest. But the PDP has internal mechanisms with the capacity to reconcile all these issues. And that is why all issues about the National Secretary are going to NEC. The NEC will sort it out.

?Also, there will be several meetings before the NEC. The National Working Committee will meet with the Board of Trustees, Governors Forum, and there will be a National Caucus meeting, among others. There will be a caucus on May 26.? (Sunday PUNCH)

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