South East PDP stakeholders, at controversial parley in Abuja, reaffirm embattled Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary

Mbah, Wabara, others absent as ‘stakeholders’ nullify zoning of offices

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at both the zonal and national levels, is far from over.

In fact, it took a turn for the worse on Tuesday – yesterday, June 28 – as some stakeholders from the South East disowned a meeting of the Zonal Executive Committee ( ZEC) held in Enugu Government House last week and nullified every decision taken at the ZEC meeting.

The stakeholders, in a communique read by the South East Zonal Legal Adviser, Ukpai Ukairo, said the Enugu meeting was not a meeting of an organ of the PDP and, therefore, was allegedly not properly convened.

Accordingly, they resolved to nullify the zoning of offices and all decisions taken at the meeting for reasons of their illegality.

To start with, the national vice chairman, Ali Odefa, who convened the meeting had earlier been expelled from the party at his ward and, as such, had no power to call a meeting of the PDP, they further argued.

Meanwhile, Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Adolphus Wabara, who were at the Enugu meeting, were among party big wigs absent from the stakeholders parley, which was held at the party national secretariat in Abuja.

The South East PDP has been polarized following the nomination of former National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye by leaders of the zone as a replacement for Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, after the latter emerged as candidate in the last Imo governorship poll.

Last December, the Court of Appeal Enugu Division, affirmed the judgment of an Enugu High Court, which ousted Anyanwu as National Secretary.

While the embattled party secretary has appealed to the Supreme Court, as well as filed for a stay of execution, PDP leaders within and outside the South East are torn between him and Ude-Okoye.

Last week, Odefa held a meeting of the party in the zone, where offices were zoned to the States, ahead of the forthcoming zonal congress.

But “the stakeholders” in their communique maintained that “it was resolved that the meeting which was held at Government House Enugu purporting to be a meeting of the Zonal Executive Committee was not a meeting of the structure of the PDP in the constitution of the party arising from the following :

“There was no zonal working committee meeting preceding the ZWC meeting and accordingly no memorandum was produced in accordance with article 27(7) of the PDP constitution.

“There was no proper summoning of the ZEC meeting, because as that time there was no person, lawfully who has the power to summon such a meeting, on the grounds that Chief Alif Odefa who could have summoned the meeting was no longer the National Vice Chairman, because he has been expelled as a member of the party following the judgment of the Federal High Court and the decision of relevant organs of the party.

“As today that judgment of the Federal High Court has not been stayed and in addition, he has not filed an appeal

“The purported zoning of office is also not a decision of the party because the meeting was not a meeting of a structure of the party.”

Earlier, Anyanwu, the embattled PDP National Secretary, who presided over the meeting, which was was attended by some members of the Board of Trustees ( BoT), including Chief Chris Uba, PDP 2023 governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Odii, amongst others, said the parley was at the instance of the National Working Committee (NWC) members from the zone, and was aimed at providing stakeholders an opportunity to
brainstorm on issues affecting the opposition party in the zone.

According to him, the meeting was scheduled to provide an inclusive platform for stakeholders after the alleged exclusion of some stakeholders from an earlier meeting in Enugu.

Anyanwu, while speaking on the crisis trailing his continued stay as secretary, explained that he had notified the party that he would be away from office for three months to enable him concentrate on his campaign.

According to him, on the eve of the Imo governorship election, he was served with a court judgment from an Enugu High Court, sacking him as secretary.

He informed the gathering that he has already appealed the Court of Appeal judgment that affirmed the verdict of the Enugu High Court, as well as filed for stay of execution.

Consequently, he maintained that he remained the national secretary of the opposition party, until the court ruled otherwise.

Anyanwu who blamed Odefa for allegedly instigating the crisis over the national secretary position, said the latter has been expelled by his ward and should stop parading himself as an official of the PDP.

“He has not appealed the matter. There is no stay so he has no locus to preside over a meeting of PDP as national vice chairman until he vacates that judgment or obtains a stay,” the party scribe stated.