- Safiu Kehinde
The People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Governors’ Forum have urged the National Working Committee (NWC) to shift the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to to the 13th of March.
Expressing delight over the effort to resolve the crisis within the NWC, the Forum made the resolution for the rescheduling of the the NEC meeting which had initially been postponed twice in the last three months by the NWC Acting Chairman, Iliya Damagun.
The constant postponement had led to insistence of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) that the meeting must be held in February.
As contained in a communique issued on Friday and signed by its Chairman, Bala Mohammed, after the Governors’ Forum meeting in Asaba, the capital of Delta state on Friday, the governors advised the NWC to reschedule the NEC meeting to March 13.
“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.
“The Forum having examined all the notices required by law to be given to validly convoke NEC advised NWC to reschedule NEC to the thirteenth (13Th) of March 2025.” the communique read.
According to reports, the NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the PDP, comprising state governors, serving and former presidents, former vice-presidents, the chairman and secretary of the board of trustees (BoT), principal officers of the national assembly, all state chairmen, members of the national working committee (NWC), former governors, and founding members, among others.
Section 31 (4) of the PDP constitution states that a NEC meeting must be held once in three months. The last NEC meeting was held in April 2024.
Meanwhile , the Forum commended it’s members for pursuing policies and programmes that were aimed at creating the foundation for sustainable development in their respective states, the Forum urged
“The Forum employed the occasion to review the performance of member states in particular, and the state of the nation in general, as well as developments in the party, as at the end of 2024; and noting the monumental socio-economic, security, infrastructure and other challenges that confronted the nation during the period, the Meeting commended Governors of member states for pursuing policies and programmes that not only ameliorated the plight of the people but were aimed at creating the foundation for sustainable development in their various states,” the communique read.
The governors, however, asked the federal government to “revisit or rejig its macro-economic policies to ameliorate and or stop the hardship/pains they have inflicted on Nigerians as no meaningful/impactful achievements in the states will be achieved until the harsh policies are addressed”.
They also commended the security agencies for securing the country but expressed concerns over the attacks and “resurgence of brazen non-state actors”.
The governors finally urged Nigerians “not to despair in the face of the prevailing hardships with the firm assurance that the PDP will remain committed to returning our great nation to the glorious days of the pre-2015 era of manageable costs of living, security of lives and property and greater unity and prosperity for all citizens”.