Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee have criticized the postponement of the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting to October 24.
The meeting, initially scheduled for August 15, was first postponed to September 26 due to members travelling for pilgrimage. However, party leaders cited unresolved congresses in eight states as the reason for the further postponement.
Party chieftains dismissed this reason, claiming it’s a deliberate attempt to undermine the party’s engagement on crucial issues. A senior NWC member stated that the postponement serves specific interests rather than the party’s broader interests.
PDP National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu explained that the postponement ensures complete congress reports from the affected states. The party will hold congresses in Abia and Ebonyi, while ongoing congresses continue in Benue, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Sokoto.
The statement dated September 16 read, “Furthermore, pursuant to the directive of NEC to conduct congresses in 24 state chapters of the party, the NWC commenced the congresses but could not conclude the exercise in some states owing to various reasons, ranging from litigation, disagreement among stakeholders, logistical challenges, among others. States where congresses are yet to be concluded due to litigation are Abia and Ebonyi, while those still ongoing are Benue, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Sokoto.
“It is instructive to state that without concluding the congresses in these states, congress reports would not be complete to be presented to NEC as required within the earlier stipulated timeframe.
“In view of the foregoing, it is therefore imperative for the NWC to reschedule the September 26, 2024, proposed NEC meeting to a new date. Consequently, the NWC wishes to notify all members of the National Executive Committee of our party that the 99th NEC meeting will now be held on Thursday, October 24.”
Reacting, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor suspected an attempt to frustrate members.
He stated, “The truth is that it is an open secret that there are challenges in some states and the congresses could not be held. However, this does not mean that it is not a deliberate attempt to frustrate party members who are coming to the meeting to address critical issues.
“The reasons for this postponement are cogent and largely unassailable. However, all issues affecting the party need to be resolved as soon as possible.
“Regardless, I am not in support of the further postponement of this meeting. There is an urgent need for party leaders to sit down and resolve all issues so that the party can move forward. All is not well with the party, and the NEC is the most important organ for resolving these issues.”
A top PDP official, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed that many members are unhappy with the NEC meeting’s postponement to October 24.
The official believes it serves specific interests rather than the party’s overall good. The official questioned the credibility of citing litigation delays in eight states, doubting it can be resolved within a month.
He said, “This latest postponement of the NEC to October 24 did not sit well with our members. They were already prepared for the September 26 meeting to address and resolve issues affecting the party.
“It is unfortunate that this postponement was made to protect certain interests rather than the interests of the entire party. The claim that the postponement was due to litigation delaying the conduct of congresses in eight states is not credible. We wonder if it is feasible to resolve all litigation within a month. What if the litigation remains unresolved? In that case, they would likely reschedule again. The appropriate course of action would have been to hold the meeting and update the NEC on the situation, as litigation could take months and might lead to further delays.”