The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has called on the National Working Committee to ensure that the National Executive Committee meeting is held in February, to allow party leaders to discuss and resolve outstanding issues.
In an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH, PDP BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, stressed the importance of holding the NEC meeting in February.
Since taking on the role of acting National Chairman after Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s removal by the court, Umar Damagum has faced mounting criticism from party leaders amid the ongoing PDP crisis, with increasing calls for his resignation.
During the 98th NEC meeting on April 18, party leaders approved the formation of a reconciliation and disciplinary committee, the conduct of ward and state congresses, and assigned the North Central caucus the task of consulting on replacing the acting National Chairman with a substantive one.
The 98th NEC also scheduled the 99th NEC meeting for August 15, which was initially postponed to October 24, 2024, then rescheduled to November 28, 2024, and has now been indefinitely postponed.
As a result, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, asked the NWC to ensure that the NEC is convened by February at the latest.
Recall that Wabara, on December 5, 2024, expressed concern that the delay in holding the NEC meeting was undermining the trust and confidence of PDP members.
The former President of the Senate also revealed that the BoT would meet in the coming weeks with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and members of the NWC to promote unity and peace in the country.
He stated, “The NEC meeting is important. That is why we have advised the NWC to convene the meeting in February. This will enable party leaders to discuss and resolve some of the pending issues. So, the BoT maintains its stance and advises that the NEC should hold next month, February.
“Regarding our meeting with Wike, there is no date yet because of the Christmas and New Year break. However, in a few days’ time, we will make contact with the Honourable Minister. We also intend to meet with others, including the NWC and other critical members of our party, to discuss various party and national issues.”
The PDP BoT Chairman urged party members to utilise the party’s internal mechanisms to resolve all issues.
In response to our correspondent’s question about when the NEC meeting will take place, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated that the NWC was responsible for convening the NEC as soon as possible.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Ologunagba revealed that the NEC meeting would be included in the agenda of the upcoming NWC meeting.
He stated “We have a responsibility to convene the NEC. The various organs of the party have emphasised that. We will ensure there is an NEC, and in that NEC, we will be able to discuss many issues, including the litigation over the PDP National Secretary.”