February 9, 2025
Politics

Publicity Secretary, Odefa deny NWC meeting with S/East PDP today

By Tunde Opalana

The end seems not yet in sight for the rumblings withing the leadership circle of the Peoples Democratic Party as two national officers on Monday denied knowledge of a meeting scheduled to hold today between meeting the National Working Committee (NWC) and the South East stakeholders of the party.

National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said he was not aware, and there was no information about such meeting.

The party’s spokesperson said ” I’m not aware of any meeting by the NWC with the stakeholders of the party in the Southeast Zone of our party.

“I’m aware that last Friday, the Zone held a very successful meeting where all critical stakeholders were present, led by the governor of Enugu, Mr. Mba. And they held a successful meeting which was all over the world in the public domain.

“So, the NWC, and if the NWC is going to hold a meeting with any organ of the party or any zone of the party, or any unit of the party, I, as the National Public Secretary, will be aware.

“For tomorrow’s rumored meeting, I am not aware of any. There’s no scheduling of any. And to that extent, I will take that as a rumor.

“The NWC did not approve and did not schedule. There will be a daily meeting with the Southeast Zone tomorrow, as you have indicated, because I’m not aware of any. The NWC did not approve and did not schedule any meeting.

Also, High Chief Ali Odefa, National Vice Chairman, South East categorically stated that NWC did not schedule any meeting with South East stakeholders.

Odefa in a statement refuting the meeting said “my attention has been drawn to a purported invitation of critical South East Stakeholders of the PDP to a meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great Party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

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“As the National Vice Chairman (South East) and member of the NWC representing the South East, I hereby authoritatively state that no such meeting is scheduled between the South East Stakeholders and the NWC.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP South East has at the Zonal Committee (ZEC) meeting attended by all South East critical stakeholders in Enugu, Enugu State on Friday, January 25, 2025, discussed and unanimously agreed on all matters related to the planned South East Zonal Congress

“All PDP South East Critical Stakeholder, staff of the National Secretariat of the PDP and the media should therefore disregard the purported invitation to a meeting of the South East Stakeholders with the NWC as no such meeting was scheduled.”

Recall that the South East stakeholder of the party had held in to their demand that Hon. Ude Okoye be installed as National Secretary of the party to replace Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

They argued that Anyanwu, having left the seat to contest Imo State governorship election in 2023 has no claim again to the seat. They, therefore nominated Okoye from the he zone to occupy the seat.

This, however, was rejected by the Ilya Damagum – led NWC.

The South East party members approached the court and the tussle has finally landed at the Supreme Court at the instance of Anyanwu who applied for a stay if execution of the judgement of an Appeal Court which backed the verdict of an High Court asking him to relinquish power.

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