By John Alechenu
ABUJA—Loyalists of the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Damagum, have called a crucial meeting of South-East stakeholders in Abuja.
Invitations for the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, were reportedly sent out via WhatsApp on Monday.
Sources indicate that Damagum and his allies are working to garner support for the embattled National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who is contesting his removal from office following two court rulings. The controversy arose from an Appeal Court ruling in Enugu, which upheld a High Court decision that removed Anyanwu and appointed Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the PDP National Secretary.
Prior to the 2024 Imo State Governorship election, South-East stakeholders met in Enugu and nominated Ude-Okoye for the role, as Anyanwu had been selected as the PDP governorship candidate for the state. However, Anyanwu has filed a motion for a stay of execution and is appealing the ruling at the Supreme Court.
In a press invitation for coverage of the event, the PDP’s Director of Publicity, Mrs. Chinwe Nnorom, noted that “critical stakeholders of the party in the South-East” have been invited to the meeting, set for 2:00 p.m.
A member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), speaking on the condition of anonymity, questioned the inclusiveness of the meeting. “I wonder which stakeholders Damagum and his associates are referring to,” the member said. “The critical South-East stakeholders we know have already met and endorsed Ude-Okoye because the position was zoned to the South-East. Can you talk about critical stakeholders and leave out key figures like our Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the National Vice Chairman for the South-East? Let’s call a spade a spade. We’ll watch and see.”
This meeting adds another layer to the ongoing power struggle within the PDP, as the party continues to grapple with internal divisions over leadership positions.
