Tensions escalate within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governors assert their dominance, backing the Court of Appeal's decision recognizing Sunday Ude-Okoye as National Secretary and clashing with Minister Nyesom Wike's faction.
The Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) are making assertive moves to consolidate their position as the party's dominant force, aiming to curtail the influence of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike , in party affairs.
At their monthly meeting in Asaba, Delta State, on Friday, the Governor Bala Mohammed-led PDP Governors Forum (PDP-GF) issued a communique reaffirming their support for the Court of Appeal ruling that recognized Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party's National Secretary. The forum directed the National Working Committee (NWC) to implement the ruling and requested them to reschedule the postponed National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to March 13th. 'The Forum noted with delight the ongoing efforts at resolving the crisis in the National Working Committee, NWC, on the position of the National Secretary, and has reaffirmed its support for the Court of Appeal judgment; consequently, the Forum advised the NWC to set up the machinery for the effective implementation of the court judgment,' stated Bala Mohammed. This stance directly challenges Wike and his allies within the party, particularly Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who maintains his claim as the National Secretary. 'I’m not perturbed about the communique issued by the governors. The PDP-GF is one of several pressure groups in our party, members are not bigger than the Nigerian Constitution and the pronouncements of our courts. I remain the PDP National Secretary,' Anyanwu responded to Sunday Vanguard.This latest development unfolds just 48 hours after Ude-Okoye was forcibly removed from the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting by Anyanwu’s loyalists who contested his presence. Ude-Okoye was nominated by South-East stakeholders as Anyanwu’s replacement when the latter became the PDP’s candidate for the 2023 Imo State governorship election. However, Anyanwu refused to relinquish the position, arguing that the party's constitution did not necessitate his resignation. Ude-Okoye challenged this in court and emerged victorious, but Anyanwu appealed—and lost. He has since filed a motion for a stay of execution and appealed to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, tensions between Wike and the PDP-GF have been escalating, particularly regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. The governors urged Wike to relinquish control of the PDP structure in Rivers to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, adhering to party tradition—a suggestion Wike vehemently rejected. 'Let nobody threaten anybody. All those threats are empty. I said nobody would take the structure of the party. You can have all the money; if it didn’t dey, it didn’t dey,' Wike declared at a reception hosted in his honor by the Ijaw People’s Congress in September 2023. Since then, a fierce power struggle has erupted between Wike’s camp and the PDP governors, leading to intricate plots, counterplots, and a widening chasm within the party.The infighting has fractured the PDP’s 17-member National Working Committee (NWC) into two factions: one supporting Wike and the other backing Fubara. Wike’s faction includes Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, Anyanwu, and National Organizing Secretary Capt. Umar Bature. On the opposing side, Fubara enjoys the support of National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, and National Treasurer Yayari Ahmed, among others.
PDP Governors Forum Nyesom Wike Sunday Ude-Okoye National Secretary Court Appeal Political Crisis Rivers State
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