PDP’s 100th NEC Meeting Reinstates Anyanwu As National Secretary

…fixes July 23 for next meeting

By Tunde Opalana

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP at its 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting agreed that Senator Samuel Anyanwu should continue in office as National Secretary .

The meeting put to rest lingering disagreement over the position of the party scribe which has polarized leadership and organs of the party along Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Ude- Okoye.

Briefing journalists immediately after the meeting, the acting National Chairman of the party, Amb. Ilya Damagum said the party irrespective of factions and personal differences resolved to reinstate Anyanwu in the interest of the party.

Damagum said “we’ve all combined in one, we were all together, and we all agree that Senator Anyanwu will continue to act as National Secretary.”

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He also disclosed that the meeting agreed to step down discussion on the issue of the national convention till 23rd of July.

“At that time, we will be able to convene a proper NEC, where myself and Senator Anyanwu will sign, which is to fulfill the regulatory requirement of INEC in convening meetings,” he said.

Damagum commended organs of the party for amicably resolving the issue of the national secretary which he credited to a functional internal conflict resolution mechanism always deployed by the party.

“We knows the mechanism to solve its own problems and run freely. As you can see, all our governors attended the meeting; all members of the NWC were on the same page. You will not be seeing all these press releases and counter press releases.

“So, to our detractors who thought this meeting would go off course or perhaps be the end of the party—the beauty of the Peoples Democratic Party is that it is the only party in this country that has the right to convene a convention,”

The meeting ended circles of conflicting statements from officers on both factions regarding the possibility of holding the meeting.

A faction led by the acting National Chairman, Ambassador. Ilya Damagum settled for an extended caucus meeting while the other faction led by the Deputy National Chairman ( South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja insisted on having the NEC meeting.

Damagum who presides over the meeting announced to journalists at the opening session that it will be a one agenda meeting which was to prepare ground for a “proper NEC”.

Confirming efforts put in.place to resolve the differences, the acting chairman said “when the NOS was introducing accredited members and they mentioned 100th NEC, I saw some people clapping. I want to use this opportunity to express to you that there was a thought before now that this meeting will be an extended caucus and you can see cards flying here and there.

“The beauty of our party is that we have always handled our problems in our own ways. So after a few consultations with our leaders, the governors, leaders of other organs, we say for the synopsis, even though we’ve deferred this NEC and we had challenges, but this is our own NEC. And this NEC is going to deliberate on only one item so that we don’t run out of the other regulators asking us to do this, to do that.”

He called on party faithful to stop arbitrary demarketing PDP. “If you so much love this party, I think it is now time for you to devote your energy in propagating the beauty of this party and stop demarketing the party unless if you are one of those that have been contracted to come and destroy our party,” he said

At the meeting of ‘No Victor, No Vanquish’, actors from both factions were in attendance.

At the meeting were Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Caleb Muftwang of Plateau and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi.

Members from both factions were also at the meeting.

They are the acting National Chairman, Amb. Ilya Damagum, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, Deputy National Chairman (South), Umar Nature, NOS, Debo Ologunagba NPS, Arc Setonji Koshedo, deputy national secretary, other NWC members.

Chairman, National Reconciliation Committee, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Prof. Jerry Gana, Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Abba Moro, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger State,

There was confusions early in the day as police besieged the secretariat, though not preventing anyone from entering the premises, but to maintain peace.

But members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) were not allowed to hold their meeting inside the NEC Hall already prepared to hold the NEC meeting.

Irked by the step, BoT members stormed out of the secretariat to the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, in the Central Area of the city to continue their meeting.

The BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara spoke about party cohesion in resolving issues saying, “I have always contended that this party will never die no matter what her detractors feel. This party will never die. We thank the National Working Committee of our party for coming together once again, believing that Nigerians have enormous faith and hope in PDP.

“We shall survive. The god of politics is in this party. Allah of politics is in this party. For anybody, any other party, to succeed, we have to release our God to bless them. But our God knows that PDP is the beacon of hope for this country.

“What is happening here today will shock so many people. I’m sure they will start planning again to bring problems. NWCs don’t allow a crack anymore, because once they have, once they have seen us now coming together, they say, why? What happened? Who is the native doctor?

“But they don’t believe in God. Where is the native doctor that made this possible? They will start doing something to destabilize us, which we will not agree. So whatever we are doing here today, we are doing because of our service to this nation.”