National Executive Committee, NEC, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday stepped down discussions on the contentious national secretary position of the party till June 30.
The party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, disclosed while reading the communique issued after the party’s 99th NEC meeting in Abuja.
Mr Damagum said that NEC received the resolution of the South-East General Executive with regards to the national secretary position.
He said that the meeting, however, agreed that the issue be considered and deliberated upon in the next NEC meeting slated for June 30.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP South-East Zonal Executive Committee had, on May 21, submitted its resolution nominating former National Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, as the party’s National Secretary to replace Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.
NAN also reports that PDP has been embroiled in leadership crisis over the rightful occupier of the office of the national secretary, as Anyanwu and Udey-Okoye continue to lay claim to the office.
Mr Damagum said that NEC also received and ratified the composition of the committee on the zoning of national offices, ahead of the party’s national convention.
Members of the zoning committee, according to him, are Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa (Chairman), Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara (Vice Chairman) and Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau (Secretary).
Mr Damagum also named members of the National Convention Committee to include Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri (Chairman), Gov. Ademola Adeleke (Vice Chairman) and Gov. Peter Mbah (Secretary).
He said that NEC thoroughly examined the state of affairs in the nation and within the party.
Mr Damagum expressed concern over security challenge, including banditry, kidnapping and attacks on communities in various parts of the country.
He said that NEC also lamented the economic hardship and poverty level occasioned by hike in fuel price, increase in electricity tariff and multiple taxes.
He called on President the Bola Tinubu-led administration to take practical steps toward addressing the insecurity and economic situation of the country.
The acting national chairman restates the party’s belief in democracy, rule of law and the supremacy of the will of the people, as expressed through their free and unhindered democratic participation in multi-party politics and governance.
He said that noted that the successful convening of the NEC meeting was a clear demonstration of the party’s unity and focus, in spite the challenges.
Mr Damagum reassured Nigerians that PDP remained strong, resilient, united and determined now more than ever before in leading the charge to rescue NIgeria.
Earlier in his opening remarks, he commended the party leaders for holding the meeting in spite all the changes.
He noted that the meeting had been postponed over times due to so many reasons.
“Even now, there are issues that ought to have culminated into moving the record, but we said that this NEC should hold, no matter how,” he said.
Mr Damagum said that about three more NEC meetings would still be held before the party’s national convention to enable it to sort out most of the contentious issues.
“I want to also reiterate that the beauty of PDP is that we have always had an internal mechanism to surmount whatever obstacle to solve its problem.
“People are outside there waiting for this opportunity to see whether we are able to surmount all these problems that are self-inflicted and somehow engineered from some quarters but with the help of God, we’ll continue to overcome.
“They will put obstacles and we will surmount them until when we show them the way out,” he said.
(NAN)
