A resurgence of splits inside the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cast doubt on the party’s much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, according to party sources.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
The NWC, which is in charge of setting up NEC meetings, is still embroiled in internal conflicts, especially with reference to Ambassador Umar Damagum’s continuing appointment as Acting National Chairman.
Damagum, Debo Ologunagba, the national publicity secretary, and other party members were suspended as a result of previous disputes. But PDP governors’ interventions reversed the bans and brought about a brief return to peace. PDP governors, led by Governor Bala Mohammed, requested the NWC to call the NEC meeting by February 2025 during a meeting in Jos, Plateau State, according to Naija News.
“In order to facilitate consultations with important party stakeholders, the forum strongly advises the NWC to call the NEC meeting by the first week of February at the latest,” Mohammed said. “The party’s existential issues should be addressed during the November–February period, with a well-defined schedule of actions to address leadership and litigation concerns.” Prior to the governors’ involvement, the 99th NEC meeting was repeatedly postponed—finally indefinitely—from its original August 15, 2024 date during the 98th meeting.
Progress Is Threatened by New Tensions Despite previous gains, fresh disagreements over the national secretary’s role seem to have worsened the already precarious peace inside the party. Damagum appointed Deputy National Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi as their spokesperson after accusing Ologunagba of unilateral activities last week alongside beleaguered National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
A court decision prohibiting the deputy national secretary from calling NEC or NWC meetings, signing documents, or carrying out other tasks without Anyanwu’s approval was cited by Abdullahi during his first press conference. Abdullahi said, “As a law-abiding party, we are required to respect the court order.”
Ologunagba, meanwhile, justified his position by claiming that “our constitution clearly outlines the party’s communication channels.” As part of the NWC, the National Publicity Secretary is authorized to inform the public about the party’s actions. Since she is not a member of the NWC, the deputy press secretary is unable to represent the party. He is being uninformed.
“I expect the party to do what is right,” he told Daily Trust about the NEC meeting. For our party, the governors’ forum is crucial, and consultations will come after. These problems should be resolved by NEC, but first we must come together as a single home. Is the February NEC meeting still scheduled? NEC member and Deputy Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor rejected worries that the tensions may cause the February NEC meeting to be derailed despite the continued disagreements.
The current problems are insufficient to prevent NEC from taking place in February. “NEC will hold, and it is essential,” Osadolor told Daily Trust. Deputy National Publicity Secretary Abdullahi was not available for comment at the time of reporting.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
