Isaac Samuel
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday, said it would engage its broader stakeholders before taking a final position on the controversy surrounding its National Secretary, following a closed-door meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, described the engagement as very thorough and fruitful.
He noted that the party would return to its leadership organs to deliberate on the outcome and reach a unified decision.
“It was a very thorough and fruitful discussion. Politics, as you know, is dynamic. We will go back to our broader stakeholders, disseminate all that has been discussed today, and immediately come up with a position,” Damagum said.
The meeting followed a letter from INEC, dated June 13, in which the commission declined recognition of PDP’s notice for its planned 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for June 30.
The commission cited non-compliance with its 2022 Guidelines for Political Parties particularly the absence of the mandatory joint signatures of both the National Chairman and the National Secretary.
Present at the meeting with INEC leadership were Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), who also chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum.
Also in attendance were former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former governors Ahmad Makarfi (Kaduna) and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); and former PDP National Secretary, Ben Obi.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in his remarks, expressed concern over the party’s inconsistent communication regarding the identity of its National Secretary.
According to him, the commission has, in recent months, received conflicting letters from the PDP alternating between naming Mr. Ude Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
He added that the most recent correspondence lacked any Secretary’s signature altogether.
“This NEC meeting will be the party’s 100th, and in the previous 99, the PDP complied with the dual-signature requirement. However, in recent months, the commission has received multiple letters from the party, some stating that Mr. Ude Okoye is the National Secretary, others naming Senator Anyanwu, and the most recent with no Secretary’s signature at all,” Yakubu said.
He urged the party to resolve the confusion and formally clarify who occupies the position.
Earlier, Damagum explained that the party has been engaged in prolonged litigation over the matter, culminating in a Supreme Court ruling in which INEC was also a party.
“Normally, when issues arise, we come to interact with the commission. Today, we’ve come with key leaders from across our organs because of the importance of this matter,” he said. “There has been litigation over the status of our National Secretary since early last year. Following the NEC’s decision to avoid further controversy, I was mandated to sign the notification letter. We received your response, and we are here to engage sincerely.”
