Mass Defections: PDP Govs Summon Emergency Meeting

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are scheduled to meet in Abuja today amidst the gale of defections that has hit the party.

The governors’ rank decreased by one two weeks ago when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori led his predecessor, Dy.Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to switch allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

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The governors met three weeks ago in Ibadan where they declared that the party would not join in the coalition talks being spearheaded by the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Oborevwori was absent at the Ibadan meeting.

Today’s meeting, which is due to take place at the Bauchi State Governors’ Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja is also coming amidst fears and uncertainties ahead of the long-awaited meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC) on May 27.

Sources told The Nation yesterday that the PDP Governors’ meeting is expected to address the crisis in the party which has forced out the likes of Oborevwori, Okowa and others.

All three Senators of the party from Kebbi State are also on their way to the APC and observers say more are likely to jump the PDP ship soon.

Sources said legal intricacies surrounding the status of the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who has been cast aside by the governors in favour of Architect Setonji Koshoedo, continue to simmer as the party prepares for the NEC meeting

A highly-placed source said that if the NEC meeting is not postponed on the basis of legal matters, there is a strong likelihood that the proposed national convention may not happen until well after August.

The three major blocs currently working on strategies to push their agenda for the May 27 meeting are the PDP Governors, Atiku Abubakar bloc and loyalists of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

At the last meeting of the PDP NWC, which handles the party’s day-to-day administration, at Wadata Plaza in Abuja, the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, announced their adoption of the entire resolutions made by the PDP Governors’ Forum at their April 14 meeting in Ibadan.

PDP NWC’s decision to align with recommendations from the PDP Governors’ Forum sets the stage for a high-stake showdown among contending power blocs with resolve to push their interests.

Although the PDP Governors’ Forum is not recognised under the party’s constitution, its recommendations that were formally adopted by the Damagum-led NWC include the rejection of the political merger or coalition that Atiku loyalists are strongly calling for, and a recommendation that the National Secretary position of Wike associate, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, should be occupied in acting capacity by the Deputy National Secretary, Architect Setonji Koshoedo.

Also adopted were recommendations for a Zoning Committee to be constituted under the trio of Governor Douye Diri (Chairman), Governor Dauda Lawal (Vice Chairman) and Governor Caleb Mutfwang (Secretary) to address all issues relating to the zoning of party offices while a National Convention Committee to be constituted under the trio of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri (Chairman), Governor Ademola Adeleke (Vice Chairman) and Governor Peter Mbah (Secretary) is to oversee PDP a national convention being scheduled for August 28 to 30 in Kano.

Sources said while Damagum is now working well with the PDP governors with some assurance of either retaining the present office or his old position as Deputy National Chairman (North), there are indications that ongoing arrangements may still end up in disappointment as several members of the PDP NWC are now facing great odds for re-appointment.

For months, tensions have swirled over the fate of the Damagum-led NWC itself which split into two factions, doing counter-suspension of one another sometime last year before PDP governors called them to order.

Some of the PDP governors, members of the Atiku bloc and other groups within the party had openly called for the removal of Damagum and the entire NWC to be dissolved—a move that only the NEC, under the PDP constitution is empowered to enact.

For Atiku loyalists, PDP Governors’ position against a coalition as well as the choice of Governor Fintiri to head the national convention committee represents further danger signals.

However, Atiku loyalists are mobilising party leaders across the North and South towards complementing any possibility of achieving a firm end to the dominant influence of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and his associate, Senator Anyanwu, by either supporting the constitution of a caretaker committee or having their loyalists in the ad-hoc leadership that would run the party’s affairs until a national convention takes place later in the year.

NATION