The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken another turn as loyalists of the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, have called a critical meeting of South-East stakeholders in Abuja.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, follows ongoing disputes over the party’s National Secretary position.
Invitations for the meeting were reportedly sent out via WhatsApp on Monday.
Vanguard reports that sources close to the party disclosed that Damagum and his allies are rallying support for the embattled National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who is challenging his removal from office.
The controversy began after the Court of Appeal in Enugu upheld a High Court ruling that removed Anyanwu and declared Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the PDP’s National Secretary.
The decision followed an earlier agreement by South-East stakeholders, who nominated Ude-Okoye for the position after Anyanwu became the PDP governorship candidate for the 2024 Imo State election.
Despite the court rulings, Anyanwu has filed a motion for a stay of execution and is appealing the verdict at the Supreme Court.
In a press invitation to cover the meeting, PDP’s Director of Publicity, Mrs. Chinwe Nnorom, stated that “critical stakeholders of the party in the South-East” had been invited, with the meeting set for 2:00 p.m.
However, questions have arisen about the inclusiveness of the gathering.
A member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, criticized the move, saying: “I wonder which stakeholders Damagum and co are talking about.
“The critical South-East stakeholders we know have already met and endorsed Ude-Okoye because the position was zoned to the South-East.
“Can you talk about critical stakeholders and leave out key figures like our Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the National Vice Chairman, South-East? Let’s call a spade a spade. We’ll watch and see.”
The meeting underscores the widening cracks within the PDP as the party struggles to address internal divisions over leadership roles.
The power tussle has become a flashpoint in the party, with South-East stakeholders split between loyalty to Anyanwu and support for Ude-Okoye.
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