The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appeared to ease on Monday after leaders at the party?s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting agreed to reinstate Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party?s National Secretary.

Anyanwu?s status had been a major bone of contention since the PDP?s loss in the 2023 presidential election, with divisions among party organs, including the National Working Committee (NWC) and state chapters.

Addressing journalists after the NEC meeting at the party?s national headquarters, acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, confirmed that Senator Anyanwu had been officially reinstated.

Damagum also announced that the 101st NEC meeting had been scheduled for July 23 to finalise arrangements for the party?s long-awaited national convention. However, he did not disclose a specific date for the convention itself.

?We?ve all come together and agreed that Senator Anyanwu will continue to serve as National Secretary,? Damagum said. ?The issue of the convention has also been deferred to the next NEC, slated for the 23rd of next month. At that meeting, we will be able to convene a proper NEC, where both myself and Senator Anyanwu will co-sign communications in compliance with INEC requirements,? he said.

Damagum also took a swipe at those he described as detractors of the party, saying: ?To those who thought this meeting would fall apart or mark the end of the PDP?this party remains the only one in the country that has consistently convened its conventions as required.

?As you can see, all our governors attended the meeting, and members of the NWC were united. You will no longer see the barrage of press statements and counter-statements that have recently trailed the party.?

The resolution

It was gathered from sources privy to the closed-door meeting that the 11 NWC members who initially opposed Anyanwu?s reinstatement said they felt sidelined by the acting national chairman in decision-making.

One source noted that it was agreed that Damagum was wrong to have engaged only those he considered allies within the NWC and then proceeded to present those internal discussions as a consensus.

The source, a member of NEC, also revealed that tensions in the South East zone had been a concern, particularly with threats of defection. However, members from the zone were reportedly pacified during pre-NEC consultations.

?Even the Enugu State governor was aware that INEC had only recognised Anyanwu,? the source said. ?But the concern was that Anyanwu appeared to be deferring to Minister Nyesom Wike, rather than acknowledging the governor as the party?s leader in the zone.?

According to the NEC member, most leaders had agreed that following INEC?s position, Anyanwu should be reinstated. However, it was Damagum?s handling of the process that angered many within the NWC, he said.

?You know the governors and some party leaders met earlier and resolved many of the key issues. But at the NEC, three specific matters were raised and addressed,? the source said.

?First, it was agreed that no secretariat staff should be victimised by Anyanwu once he resumes. Recall that staff had previously protested, saying they no longer wished to work with him.

?Second, Anyanwu was warned not to circumvent procedures leading up to the convention. All members agreed that a definite date for the convention will be announced at the July 23 NEC meeting. Party leaders are currently considering October or November for the event,? he said.

The source added that a third issue involved the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, who reportedly suggested that Anyanwu sign an undertaking not to use his office to punish those who opposed him during the crisis. However, Wabara was persuaded to drop the idea in the interest of reconciliation.

Before the crisis was resolved, tensions reached a peak on Monday morning as heavily armed security operatives took over the party?s national secretariat in the Wuse Zone 5 area of Abuja.

The operatives, primarily drawn from the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), arrived as early as 8:30 a.m. and barricaded the road leading to the party premises to maintain order amid fears of a clash between rival factions of the NWC.

The security lockdown followed growing tensions after the NWC became sharply divided over the leadership status of Senator Anyanwu and competing directives regarding the NEC meeting. Both camps had reportedly mobilised for separate caucus meetings at the secretariat.

Scores of armed security officers in about 10 trucks took up strategic positions around Wadata Plaza, where both factions had scheduled parallel activities.

Access to the party headquarters was restricted. Staff, journalists, and party members were denied entry. Dozens of youths, suspected to be political thugs, who had earlier gathered around the premises, were chased away by the security operatives who took full control of the area.

Members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), who had also scheduled a meeting at the secretariat, were prevented from entering the building. A few leaders who gained access to the premises based on self-recognition were barred from entering the NEC hall where the meeting was to take place.

It was gathered that the security personnel were under strict instructions to prevent any meeting from holding within the party premises.

At one point, senior officers were overheard instructing their colleagues to enforce the order thoroughly. One was heard saying: ?Make sure nobody is in the hall there. That is the instruction. I heard there is another hall upstairs. Make sure nobody is meeting there.?

Following the blockade, PDP leaders relocated the meeting to the Shehu Musa Yar?adua Centre in the Central Business District of Abuja.

Among those seen leaving Wadata Plaza for the new venue were former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George; former Ebonyi State Governor, Senator Sam Egwu; and former National Secretary, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri.

Reacting to the development, Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman, condemned the action, warning that the country risked sliding into authoritarianism.

?You came to our office and surrounded it with police just because we want to have a meeting? Are you trying to turn Nigeria into North Korea? Or Russia?? he asked. ?We will not allow it. Nigerians will not allow it. I have seen both sides. Let them be very careful. Allow everybody to operate within the law of the land,? he said.

George also urged the political class to remember the crisis that engulfed the South West in 1962 and avoid any action that could destabilise the country further.

Speaking at the Yar?adua Centre before the BoT meeting commenced, BoT Secretary and former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said PDP governors were disappointed over the treatment meted out to party elders by the security operatives.

Makarfi explained that he had arrived earlier at the Bauchi State Governor?s Lodge in Abuja, where a pre-meeting involving governors, NWC members, and opposition leaders in the National Assembly had been held to harmonise positions ahead of the NEC.

?I arrived at 10:00 a.m. at the Bauchi Governor?s Lodge as instructed. The meeting was meant to bridge gaps within the party so that we could face the NEC as a united front rather than a divided house,? he said.

He said governors at the meeting were visibly upset over the developments at Wadata Plaza and welcomed the decision to move the meeting to a new venue to avoid further embarrassment.

?This kind of interference is unacceptable. It undermines our democracy and the rights of opposition parties to function freely,? Makarfi stated. ?We remain committed to resolving our internal issues and presenting a strong, united front to the Nigerian people.?

BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara also condemned the blockade, describing it as an affront to the party and democratic values.

?This morning, I nearly stepped out of my car when I saw how some members were treated. I told my driver, ?No, move,? because the situation was deeply embarrassing,? Wabara said.

He, however, urged party leaders not to be distracted by the incident. ?We must not allow this provocation to derail our mission to rebuild and strengthen the party,? he said.

Wabara added: ?Let me emphasise that this is a particularly special BoT meeting. I want it on record that it remains our 80th BoT meeting. We will proceed accordingly so that, in the future, people will understand the extraordinary circumstances under which it was held.?

Venue of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, yesterday

Party leaders speak on crisis resolution

Addressing the NEC just before Monday?s closed-door session, Damagum reiterated the party?s commitment to internal conflict resolution and regulatory compliance.

Damagum told the gathering that although the initial plan was to hold an extended caucus meeting, consultations with key stakeholders, including governors and leaders of various party organs, led to the decision to streamline the day?s agenda.

?The beauty of our party is that we have always handled our problems in our own way,? Damagum said. ?After consultations with our leaders, we agreed that even though we?ve deferred this NEC in the past and had challenges, this is our own NEC. Today?s meeting will focus on one item so we don?t fall short of regulatory requirements.?

He explained that the NEC would deliberate on setting a date for the next NEC meeting, which would then approve the timeline for the much-anticipated national convention in line with the provisions of the law and the party?s constitution.

?This is the NEC where we will decide when to hold the next NEC and proceed to the convention in a lawful and orderly manner. We will issue the date after concluding this meeting. Let me also remind us that, as loyal party members, we all have a duty to this party,? he added.

Speaking on the reinstatement of Senator Anyanwu as national secretary, which had divided the NWC in recent weeks, Damagum said the party had taken a collective decision.

?The issue that created so much tension and division among us has been discussed, and a decision has been taken. The agreement to allow the National Secretary to resume?though painful?was prompted by our collective deliberations. I want to state clearly: enough is enough,? he said.

Also addressing the NEC, chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, described the resolution of the crisis as ?a miracle of the PDP.?

?This party has a history, pedigree, and the human capital to deliver Nigeria,? he said. ?We?ve faced controversies and challenges?not ones we created, but ones created for us. Yet, unlike other parties, we?ve continued to navigate these storms with resilience.?

Bala dismissed recent media reports of mass defections from the PDP, describing them as superficial.

?News about people leaving the party is merely cosmetic. I must thank our leaders and all party organs, especially the Board of Trustees, the National Assembly caucuses, and, most importantly, my fellow governors and the National Working Committee,? he said.

He added that despite previous internal disputes, the NWC had now resolved its differences.

?Everything we?re doing is in support of the NWC. I must inform the public that the NWC has collapsed all internal differences and resolved its wrangling. Those press statements you saw?those back-and-forth?they?re over. That?s what the BoT chairman meant when he said we?re now on the same page,? Bala stated.

He cautioned against splinter meetings or attempts to form parallel coalitions within the party.

?There?s no justification for any coalition or stakeholders? meeting outside the authority of the NWC. As governors, we stand solidly behind this NWC. Together, with the other organs of the party, we?ll act as its conscience to ensure collective success. We will not disappoint Nigerians or our teeming supporters,? he said.

He also commended the role of the party?s state chapters, saying, ?There?s no longer any wrangling at the state level, and that is where our true strength lies. I thank our state chairmen for holding the party together?despite limited resources?and ensuring that our structures remain intact nationwide,? he added. (Daily Trust)

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