Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in South East have described the meeting of some stakeholders of the party held in Enugu recently as illegal.
The stakeholders said the meeting held in the Enugu State Government House last week convened by the “expelled” former National Vice Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa was a nullity.
Chief Chidiebere Egwu, the new National Vice Chairman of the party in the zone stated this in Abuja during a meeting with stakeholders of the party in the zone which they reaffirmed their support for Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party.
The stakeholders’ meeting was attended by the leaders of the party in the Southeast including the immediate past governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Senator Michael Amah Nnachi, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu, Hon Jones Onyeriri, the Zonal Legal Adviser, Barr. Ukpai Ukairo, Zonal Organising Secretary, Rt. Hon. Mike Ahumibe, the PDP Chairmen of PDP Imo and Abia states among many others.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, they reiterated the call for the National Working Committee (NWC) of the obey the Supreme Court ruling that explicitly reaffirmed the position of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party.
They called on the NWC and the general public to disregard the meeting held at the behest of Odefa.
The stakeholders also reiterated their call for the immediate conduct of Congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra State who do not have valid State Working Committee at present.
The communiqué recalled several judgments that affirmed the suspension and subsequent expulsion of Mr. Ali Odefa as the National Vice Chairman of the PDP Southeast and afterwards urged the Zonal Working Committee to immediately institute a “Contempt of Court” Proceedings against the former zonal chairman.
The Stakeholders also urged all party members and leaders to support the Senator Bukola Saraki led reconciliation committee of the party to mediate on the lingering crisis and leadership skirmishes in the interest of the survival of the party.
“We, PDP South East stakeholders comprising BOT members, National Working Committee members, former Governor, Senators, Honourable members of House of Representatives and House of Assembly Members, past and present, the National Vice Chairman, South East and Zonal Working members and major high net worth members of the PDP across the States in the South East hereby, resolve thus:
“We commend the leadership of the PDP for setting up the Dr. Bukola Saraki-led Reconciliatory Committee and we are hopeful that the outcome will be in line with the legal status of the state of affairs in the PDP as espoused in the constitution and decisions of the courts, and that major gladiators would abide by the outcome. It is hoped that the vile aim of the outcome of said meeting held at Government House, Enugu directed by the conveners and attendees at sabotaging the effort of the Reconciliatory Committee would come to nought.
“The Supreme Court has settled, with finality, the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, and it is on record that the INEC has, rightly, given effect to the said judgment, which is the right thing to do.
“In view of 2 above, we hereby serve a note of advice that, in the administration of the PDP, it is impossible to ignore the lawful status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP and any attempt to stand against this clear position of the law will cause irreversible political damages because INEC would not give effect to the outcome of conventions, congresses and primary elections that do not have the signature of the lawful National Secretary.
“In the same breath, it is important to stress that the Deputy National Secretary can only act in the absence of the National Secretary as evident in the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“The clear and express provision of the PDP Constitution is that the offices of the National Secretary and Deputy National Secretary are not conjunctive. Accordingly, the pathway of directing the Deputy National Secretary to act in a situation where the National Secretary is not absent is an endorsement of illegality, which cannot stand legal scrutiny.
“We, therefore, call on the National Working Committee and in particular, the Acting National Chairman, to abide by the clear provisions of the Constitution of the PDP and comply with the Supreme Court judgment in order to steer the Party on the path of legality.
“The PDP is a political party which evolved on the altar of constitutional democracy founded on respect for the rule of law. On this note we demand that the Board of Trustees, the conscience of the party, and the Governors Forum must give full effect to the tenets of rule of law, and the manifest implication of this historic burden, is that both bodies, do not have a choice other than to respect the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the lawful National Secretary.