PDP Leadership Crisis: BoT Holds Strategic Meeting With National Assembly Members

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, in line with its series of meetings, held a closed-door meeting with the Senators and House of Representatives members of the party.

The BoT had Tuesday had a meeting with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. It is scheduled to have another meeting with governors of the party later.

Thursday’s meeting with the National Assembly members took place at the Legacy office of the party. The meeting was presided over by the BoT members.

It was gathered that the series of meetings have been ahead of the October 25 National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, where a new national chairman might be elected to replace the acting national chairman, Amb. Illya Damagum.

The PDP has faced internal strife since the lead-up to the 2023 elections. Party stakeholders have criticised Damagum for failing to take decisive steps to reform the party.

The situation worsened when Wike, persisted in his criticism of Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and the PDP Governors’ Forum regarding the party’s structure.

THISDAY reported that PDP BoT Chairman, Adolphus Nwabara; Secretary, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and other members held a closed-door meeting with Wike in Abuja on Tuesday.

Additionally, the BoT met with the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, in the state capital on Wednesday.

The meeting between the National Assembly Caucus and the BoT took place at the PDP office, Legacy House, in Abuja.

Along with Nwabara and Makarfi, the meeting also had Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Lere Oyewumi, House of Representatives Minority Whip, Hon. Ali Isa JC, and Hon. Pastor Ojema Ojotu, in attendance.

THISDAY learned that the BoT convened the meeting to assess the sentiment of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly regarding the party’s challenges and suggest recommendations for resolving the issues.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Wabara said, “As you see us here, it is evident that the party is peaceful.”

All attempts to speak with members of National Assembly that attended the meeting proved abortive as some said they were under instruction not to speak to the media

Apart from seeking a peaceful resolution within the party, THISDAY gathered that the party wanted to ensure a peaceful resolution of the face-off between Wike and Fubara to the extent that the PDP traditions of ensuring that governors are leaders of the party in the states is entrenched.

Meanwhile, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has clarified his position on the raging PDP leadership crisis, declaring that he stood by the relevant provisions of the PDP Constitution.

In a statement by the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, he said, “I stand by the Constitution of our great party, which clearly spelt out the succession procedure in case of the exit of an elected chairman.

“I also stand by the resolution of the PDP  Governors’ Forum of which I am an integral part. Our party must adhere to its Constitution at this critical time and at all times. That is the way to build a responsible political party.”

The Second paragraph of Adeleke’s statement clearly supported the Bauchi State Governor’s assurance to the North Central zone to nominate Damagum’s replacement.

Chuks Okocha

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