By OBSERVERS TIMES
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-East zone has issued a stern warning to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), demanding the affirmation of Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary. Failure to do so, the zone warns, may force it to reconsider its relationship with the party.
The ultimatum came in a communique signed by Chief Ali Odefa, Zonal Chairman of PDP South-East, following a meeting of the South-East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) held on Wednesday at the Government House in Enugu.
The communique recalled the Supreme Court ruling on March 21, 2025, which ended the prolonged legal dispute over the PDP National Secretary position. The court ruled that leadership issues within political parties fall under internal party affairs, and thus are beyond the jurisdiction of the courts and INEC.
Following the court’s decision, the PDP Governors’ Forum recommended at their April 14, 2025 meeting in Ibadan that the South-East zone should nominate a candidate to serve the remaining tenure of the National Secretary’s office, a position zoned to the region.
This recommendation was adopted by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) during its 600th meeting on April 29, 2025, which directed the South-East ZEC to nominate a candidate accordingly.
After exhaustive deliberations, the South-East ZEC unanimously endorsed Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the candidate to complete the tenure. They urged the NWC to uphold its earlier decision and allow the Deputy National Secretary to serve as Acting National Secretary pending NEC’s ratification.
The communique highlighted the zone’s repeated efforts since October 2023 to have Ude-Okoye recognized, noting that unlike other zones, the South-East has faced continual delays in filling vacant national offices.
Chief Odefa emphasized the South-East’s longstanding loyalty to the PDP, describing the region as a party stronghold for nearly three decades. Despite losses post-2023 elections, the zone has been instrumental in reintegrating key opposition figures and expanding PDP representation, citing recent defections from the Labour Party in Enugu State and growth in state assembly seats.
The communique concluded with a warning: if the party fails to promptly implement the South-East’s position on the National Secretary appointment, the zone will be forced to reconsider its future within the PDP.
