Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, under the aegis of the Concerned PDP Stakeholders, have asked the party leadership to make an announcement unequivocally zoning the candidacy for the 2027 Presidential elections to the South.
The stakeholders made the call in a communique read by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, following a meeting held in Abuja on Monday.
The Stakeholders said they had reached the conclusion that the party’s crisis were due to the “inexplicable refusal of a few to adhere to the Party Constitution, with particular reference to Section 36(1)(a)(b) and (c), Sections 47(3)(5) and 48(1)(i) and the definitive Supreme Court Judgment regarding the position of the office of the National Secretary of the Party.”
“The Eminent Stakeholders and Concerned Leaders are alarmed that the party is in an inevitable path to self-annihilation, if urgent steps are not taken to rein in the desperate, divisive and selfish tendencies that brought the party to its knees in the lead up to the 2023 election,” they added.
They therefore resolved that the candidacy for Presidency in 2027 must be zoned to the South, while affirming the election of Senator Sam Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party, in line with the Supreme Court judgment, adding that going forward, only the Secretary could issue notices of meeting, in line with the party’s constitution.
“The PDP eminent leaders and concerned stakeholders resolve as follows; In the spirit of fairness, inclusion, federal Character principles and respect for our party Constitution, the party must make an unequivocal announcement, zoning its Presidential Candidate to the South in the 2027 general election.
“That to finally arrest the inexorable drift towards extinction in our party, the party must, without further delay, respect the judgment of the Supreme Court. We, therefore, unequivocally reaffirm Senator Sam Anyanwu as the duly elected and substantive National Secretary of our great Party.
“In line with the provisions of our party constitution only the National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, can issue notices of meeting of the National Convention, National Executive Committee, National Caucus and the National Working Committee and to this end all notices not issued by him and actions founded on them, including correspondences to INEC are null and void and of no effect whatsoever,” the communique read.
The group also noted that only a “properly and duly constituted” National Convention could remove Anyanwu as Secretary, in light of his status as a member of the National Executive Council.
They therefore demanded that the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party, jointly issue a notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission, “with an attached agenda for the National Executive Committee Meeting of the Party being the only pathway to abide by extant laws.”
The Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to the party and urged all members to “uphold the rule of law, respect constitutional mandate, resist all machinations aimed at destabilizing the party and support the efforts of the National Reconciliation Committee headed by His Excellency, Senator Bukola Saraki.”
PUNCH.
