Crack in PDP Widens as Governors Move to Assert Control

PDP Recognize Ude-Okoye as National Secretary, reject Wike’s ally

Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are trying to assert their dominance as the party’s main power brokers.

This followed their first most daring move to whittle down the influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in PDP affairs.

The Governor Bala Mohammed-led 12-member PDP Governors Forum (PDP-GF) rose from their monthly meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital on Friday; with a clear message to the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum-led pro-Wike faction of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Mohammed, who read the communique after the meeting, said, “The Forum noted with delight the ongoing efforts at resolving the crisis in the National Working Committee, NWC, on the position of the National Secretary, and has reaffirmed its support for the Court of Appeal judgment; consequently, the Forum advised the NWC to set up the machinery for the effective implementation of the court judgment.”

The Forum also “advised” the NWC to reschedule the much awaited National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier slated for February to March 13th.

According to the governors, the shift is to give the NWC time to put in place the machinery to enable Ude-Okoye append his signature to the necessary documents notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the new date.

Crack in PDP widens as governors move to assert control

PDP recognize Ude-Okoye as National Secretary, reject Wike’s ally

Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are trying to assert their dominance as the party’s main power brokers.

This followed their first most daring move to whittle down the influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in PDP affairs.

The Governor Bala Mohammed-led 12-member PDP Governors Forum (PDP-GF) rose from their monthly meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital on Friday; with a clear message to the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum-led pro-Wike faction of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Mohammed, who read the communique after the meeting, said, “The Forum noted with delight the ongoing efforts at resolving the crisis in the National Working Committee, NWC, on the position of the National Secretary, and has reaffirmed its support for the Court of Appeal judgment; consequently, the Forum advised the NWC to set up the machinery for the effective implementation of the court judgment.”

The Forum also “advised” the NWC to reschedule the much awaited National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier slated for February to March 13th.

According to the governors, the shift is to give the NWC time to put in place the machinery to enable Ude-Okoye append his signature to the necessary documents notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the new date.

With this declaration, the governors have sent anu unambiguous message that they’ll henceforth deal with Hon. Ude-Okoye as National Secretary. Senator Samuel Anyanwu, a known Wike ally, insists he’s still the National Secretary irrespective of the PDP-GF’s position.

He told Sunday Vanguard, “I’m not perturbed about the communique issued by the governors. The PDP-GF is one of several pressure groups in our party, members are not bigger than the Nigerian Constitution and the pronouncements of our courts. I remain the PDP National Secretary.”

This happened barely 46 hours after Ude-Okoye was hounded out of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting by Anyanwu’s loyalists who felt irritated by his presence.