Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee have faulted the further postponement of the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting to October 24.
According to the party chieftains who spoke to The PUNCH, the postponement of the NEC meeting from the earlier date of September 26 to March 24 is a deliberate move to undermine the party’s engagement on crucial issues.
The PDP 99th NEC meeting, initially scheduled for August 15 to discuss issues such as the replacement of the PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, was first postponed to September 26 due to members travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
On September 13, The PUNCH exclusively reported that the meeting was again rescheduled to October 24.
The party’s leadership, in a document sighted by our correspondent, explained that the postponement became inevitable due to unresolved congresses in eight states.
But the chieftains who spoke to our correspondent dismissed the reason adduced for the NEC meeting postponement.
In a document dated September 16, the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, explained that the NEC meeting was moved to October 24 to ensure that the congress reports from eight states were complete and could be presented to the NEC as required.
The PDP National Secretary stated that the party would hold congresses in Abia and Ebonyi on a date yet to be announced, while ongoing congresses were taking place in Benue, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Sokoto.
The statement read:
“Furthermore, pursuant to the directive of NEC to conduct congresses in 24 state chapters of the party, the NWC commenced the congresses but could not conclude the exercise in some states owing to various reasons, ranging from litigation, disagreement among stakeholders, logistical challenges, among others. States where congresses are yet to be concluded due to litigation are Abia and Ebonyi, while those still ongoing are Benue, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Sokoto.”
“It is instructive to state that without concluding the congresses in these states, congress reports would not be complete to be presented to NEC as required within the earlier stipulated timeframe.”
“In view of the foregoing, it is therefore imperative for the NWC to reschedule the September 26, 2024, proposed NEC meeting to a new date. Consequently, the NWC wishes to notify all members of the National Executive Committee of our party that the 99th NEC meeting will now be held on Thursday, October 24.”
A senior NWC member, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the issue, disclosed that many members were dissatisfied with the recent rescheduling. The source claimed that the postponement was intended to serve specific interests rather than the broader interests of the party.
He said,
“This latest postponement of the NEC to October 24 did not sit well with our members. They were already prepared for the September 26 meeting to address and resolve issues affecting the party.”
“It is unfortunate that this postponement was made to protect certain interests rather than the interests of the entire party. The claim that the postponement was due to litigation delaying the conduct of congresses in eight states is not credible. We wonder if it is feasible to resolve all litigation within a month. What if the litigation remains unresolved? In that case, they would likely reschedule again. The appropriate course of action would have been to hold the meeting and update the NEC on the situation, as litigation could take months and might lead to further delays.”
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, similarly expressed his opposition to the postponement.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Osadolor acknowledged that while the reasons for the delay were legitimate, he believed it was intentionally done to frustrate members.
He stated,”The truth is that it is an open secret that there are challenges in some states and the congresses could not be held. However, this does not mean that it is not a deliberate attempt to frustrate party members who are coming to the meeting to address critical issues.”
“The reasons for this postponement are cogent and largely unassailable. However, all issues affecting the party need to be resolved as soon as possible.”
“Regardless, I am not in support of the further postponement of this meeting. There is an urgent need for party leaders to sit down and resolve all issues for the party to move forward. All is not well with the party, and the NEC is the most important organ for resolving these issues.”
