PDP Leadership Meets INEC over Crisis

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

As part of its troubleshooting efforts in the lingering national secretary crisis, the national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, met with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The meeting, which took place at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, started at 2.30pm.

Immediately after the opening ceremony, the PDP and INEC officials proceeded into a closed door section.

The meeting came after the opposition party wrote a letter to INEC inviting it to its 100th NEC meeting scheduled for June 30.

PDP had on May 30, in a letter signed by its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, invited INEC to its 100th NEC meeting.

But in its reply dated June 13, the electoral body notified PDP that its letter was not in compliance with the requirements of part 2(12)3 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.

The commission maintained that both the national chairman and national secretary of the party should jointly sign the notices for conventions, congresses, conferences or meeting and submit to the commission.

Speaking at the meeting, Damagum said they were at the INEC headquarters to interact with the commission to guide the party in decisions regarding the national secretary position.

Damagun stated, “We are here today, as you are aware that we have issues pertaining to the status of our national secretary.

“We’ve gone into litigation, I think, from the beginning of last year until when the Supreme Court made a pronouncement of which INEC was a party to that litigation.

“We are here today to discuss and interact with you sincerely, because we had NEC and there was a decision of NEC, which mandated me to sign a letter to avoid controversy.

“I have received your reply to that letter, urging us to be guided. So I think we are here to interact sincerely with you off-camera so that it will guide us when we get back to have a position that would further help us in taking these positions that we found ourselves.”

Damagum told newsmen after the meeting that the PDP leadership would go and meet with the larger stakeholders on the discussion from the meeting and come back to INEC on Thursday.

Responding, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the meeting was at the instance of PDP, saying that as the regulator of political parties, INEC’s doors were always open to their leaders.

Yakubu stated, “You may recall that not long ago we received similar visitors from the Labour Party. So when the PDP said they were going to visit, we welcomed them.

“The acting chairman has stated the purpose of the meeting, to discuss the status of the party’s national secretary, particularly regarding the letter we sent to the party on the request for us to monitor their 100th NEC meeting, which was only signed by the chairman and not the chairman and secretary as provided in our regulation.

“I am glad that the meeting was the 100th meeting of the NEC of the party, meaning that 99 times in the past you fully complied by inviting us by means of a letter signed by the chairman and secretary of the party.

“So, there are issues to discuss. And we look forward to this important clarification from the party as to who is the secretary.”

Yakubu recalled that in the last couple of months the commission received about five letters from PDP rearding the party’s secretary.

He said, “In the last couple of months, we received letters from the party saying one Mr Sunday Udey-Okoye was the secretary. Thereafter, the party changed its mind and said it was Anyanwu.

“Thereafter, the party changed its mind to say that it was Mr. Setonji Koshoedo. And again the party changed its mind to say Anyanwu.

“The last letter from the party actually had no secretary at all. It was only signed by the chairman, which we responded to.

“But we are here as the registrar and regulators of political parties. And we hope when we go into the working session we will fully understand where you are coming from and what more you expect from us as the registrar and regulator of political parties.”

In attendance were Chairman of PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal; and  Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang.

Others were former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki; former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro; former Governor of Bayelsa, Seriake Dickson; PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; and Senator Ben Obi.

Also in attendance were INEC National Commissioners, acting Secretary to the commission, Halilu Aminu, and directors in the commission.