Amid the crisis in the party propelled by the selection of its vice-presidential running mate, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has postponed its National Executive Committee (NEC) earlier scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
In a terse statement issued by its National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, on Monday, the party did not give reasons for deferment of the quarterly meeting of the highest decision-making body of the main opposition party except to say it was for unforeseen circumstances.
The statement read: “This is to inform all members of the PDP National Caucus and National Executive Committee that the meetings of the two bodies earlier scheduled for Wednesday, August 10 and Thursday, August 11, 2022, respectively, have been postponed.
“The postponement is due to unforeseen circumstances.
“A new date will be announced in due course.
“All inconveniences are deeply regretted.”
However, the Nigerian Tribune learnt that the postponement is to give the party enough time to attempt to resolve the crisis arising from the vice-presidential candidate nomination, which has essentially split it into North and South caucuses.
Findings show that there are fears in the party that if it goes ahead with the meeting without first assuaging the feelings of some disgruntled members, it may suffer a boycott.
Members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) loyal to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State had boycotted the meeting of the board last week because the party was yet to address his grievances.
The postponed NEC meeting was expected to review the state of the party as it bids to put behind the rift its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Wike that has also prevented it from constituting it 2023 presidential campaign committee.
The meeting would have also enabled it to examine the state of the nation with a view of apprising Nigerians of the damage it believes the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has done to the country in the last seven years.
Similarly, it was expected to address the calls in some quarters for the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Ayu, to step down to allow the realignment of the national leadership of the party along its constitutionally prescribed zoning principle.
The party is said to be in hurry to resolve the problem that arose from the selection of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the vice-presidential running mate despite the recommendation of Wike by the committee set up to help the Atiku to pick his running mate.
The Rivers governor and his group that include several PDP governors have since refused to work with the former vice president, demanding that Wike should first be placated over the perceived humiliation he suffered in the process.
However, the two groups last week, agreed to raise a committee with equal number of individuals nominated from both sides to work on the differences between Atiku and Wike with a view to making recommendations.
The party is now facing a split into North and South caucuses with Wike said to be leading the South who believe that there is now a deliberate move to foist a Northern Agenda on it.
They cite the key leadership positions of the party including the presidential candidate, the national chairman and the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), all being occupied by the north, hence the reluctance to re-adjust the leadership structure.
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, has denied this, dismissing it as mundane speculation.
He said the PDP, unlike the All Progressives Congress (APC), is a party that unifies the country and intent on rescuing it from the maladministration it has suffered in the last seven years.
The party spokesman assured that the PDP is having a conversation on how best to approach the rescue process, noting that in the course of that, there may be differences, which the party is confident, will be fully resolved.
On the reason for the postponement of the NEC meeting, he explained that it is a matter of convenience.
Ologunagba told the Nigerian Tribune: “If you schedule a meeting and it’s not convenient for you to hold it at that time, won’t you postpone? What’s wrong in that?
Asked whether the postponement is related to Wike’s issue, Ologunagba insisted: “It is related to the reason given by the National Secretary.”
