South-East Threatens to Dump PDP if Denied National Secretary Position

South-East Threatens to Dump PDP if Denied National Secretary Position

The South-East bloc of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to reconsider its relationship with the party if the zone is denied the position of the party’s National Secretary.

This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of South-East PDP Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting held on Wednesday in Enugu.

The document was signed by Chief Ali Odefa, Chairman, PDP, South-East Zone.

He said the ZEC unanimously recommended Sunday Udeh-Okoye for the office of national secretary of the party.

“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South-East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves.

“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the party, the South- East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” he said.

Odefa urged PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to uphold its decision at its 600th meeting on April 29 which allowed the party’s Deputy National Secretary to function as Acting National Secretary.

This, he said, would be pending the time a substantive national secretary would be confirmed.

“The South-East ZEC further noted that the zone had to go through this process for the umpteenth time, unlike what obtains in the filling of vacant national offices by other zones.

“It is recalled that the South East ZEC met in October 2023 and nominated Udeh-Okoye to serve out the remaining term of the National Secretary.

“This position was reaffirmed during the Feb. 20, 2024 meeting of the PDP South-East ZEC. We also reiterated this during the meeting of ZEC in Enug today,” Odefa said.

The zonal chairman said that South-East had consistently served as PDP stronghold from the inception of the party.

He said that while the party had been losing key members following post-2023 general election, the South-East PDP was at the vanguard of strengthening the party by rallying major opposition figures into its fold.

“In Enugu State, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party is back to the PDP; two members of the House of Representatives are equally back from Labour Party.

“Furthermore, PDP seats in the Enugu State House of Assembly have grown from 10 at the inception of the Assembly to 20 today,’’ he said.

He recalled that on March 21 the Supreme Court brought to a close the protracted legal tussle over the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.

According to him, the apex court, in its ruling, held that the issue of the leadership of a political party was the internal affairs of the affected party.

“The PDP Governors’ Forum, at its April 14, 2025 meeting held in Ibadan recommended that the South-East PDP should nominate a candidate.

“This followed the consideration of the report of the panel it set up to review the Supreme Court judgment.

“Their position is that the candidate would serve out the remaining tenure of the National Secretary of the Party zoned to the region,’’ Odefa said.