- Safiu Kehinde
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reinstated Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary of the party while postponing the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for June 30.
This is coming hours after the PDP’s meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday.
While the party is yet to issue an official statement confirming Anyanwu’s reinstatement, the PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, announced his return while addressing newsmen after an extensive meeting at the party’s national headquarters on Wednesday.
Damagum described the decision to bring back Anyanwu as the National Secretary as a bitter pill for PDP to swallow but harped on the need to fulfil its promise to INEC during yesterday’s meeting.
“We met with some of our governors, the PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman, the BoT and the caucus of the National Assembly, and after an extensive meeting, where critical issues were discussed, we were able to identify our problems.
“INEC is our regulator and they have told us their position as it affects the issues surrounding the national secretary.
“We are all aware that the national secretary is a signatory of this party. It is a critical position that he holds.
“As such, we have decided to abide by their advice, especially as we have a very important election before us, that is the FCT election and we are running out of time. So, we have no option but to abide by the decision.
“After due consultations and everything, we thought it’s a bitter pill and we have to swallow it.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on all our party faithful to know that it was a difficult decision, but the survival of the party is more than all of us, more than everything that you feel that you know and yearn for,” he said.
On the postponed 100th NEC meeting, Damagum held that the party would use the opportunity to hold expanded caucus meeting to address various issues bedeviling it.
He stated that PDP would do the right thing.
“It is the decision of most members of this party, led by the organs of the party.
“The leaders of the organs of the party will have an expanded caucus to discuss extensively the way forward to NEC. That would be on the 30th.
“We will issue a notice; there is not going to be NEC, but an expanded caucus.
“As it is, like they told us, they don’t have any notice of NEC meeting from us because I was the only person that signed (the letter), and we have not followed the guidelines.
“So, the caucus will take a decision for NEC as well as all the critical issues brought before us, leading to our national convention,” he said.
In attendance at the meeting, alongside Damagum, were the Chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro.
Others included: former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki; former Governor of Bayelsa, Senator Seriake Dickson; National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; and House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon Kingsley Chinda, among others.