The Senate Minority Leader and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Abba Moro, has called on party members, particularly those from the Southeast caucus, to refrain from making threats and instead focus on resolving the party’s internal crisis in accordance with a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Naijaonpoint reports that Moro made the appeal during his appearance on Arise TV’s political programme, Prime Time, where he discussed the PDP’s leadership issues and the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision on the party’s internal disputes.
Senator Moro explained that the ongoing crisis within the PDP stemmed from the controversy surrounding the dual-position issue involving Samuel Anyanwu.
Anyanwu had contested for the governorship while still serving as the PDP National Secretary. According to the party’s constitution, holding dual positions is not permitted, and if Anyanwu had won the governorship election, he would have automatically been required to resign from his position as National Secretary.
This situation led to the Southeast caucus nominating a replacement, which in turn resulted in a series of legal battles.
Moro noted that the Supreme Court ruled that the PDP, not the courts, had the authority to decide who holds which positions within the party.
Moro said, “When Senator Anyanwu went to contest for governor, he expected to win by the constitution of the party because you cannot hold dual positions in the party and in government. If he had won and become the governor and assumed office as governor, definitely automatically you would expect that he had resigned from the position of national secretary.”
He further emphasized the importance of the PDP adhering to the Supreme Court’s decision.
The PDP chieftain revealed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had accepted the Southeast’s nominee, Udeh-Okoye, pending ratification, but the Supreme Court ruling disrupted this process. He added that the PDP is now working to align with the court’s ruling.
Moro expressed concern over threats from some members of the Southeast caucus, warning that they may reconsider their relationship with the party if their positions are not accepted.
He urged party leaders to remain resolute in finding a solution to the crisis and stressed that threats were counterproductive.
“The unfortunate thing here is the threat of reviewing their relationship with the party if their positions are not accepted in the first place. At the moment, it is not the party that is responsible for whatever is happening to the nominee of the Southeast. It is the court, and as a law-abiding organisation, we should be prepared to accept the judgment of the court as it pertains to our organisation,” Moro said.
While acknowledging the ongoing challenges within the PDP, Moro pointed out that internal conflicts and legal battles were not unique to the party.
He highlighted that other political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party, were also facing similar issues.
However, Moro noted that the PDP’s situation attracts more attention because it is the main opposition party and offers a credible alternative to the ruling party.
“The PDP presents a credible alternative as a major opposition, so people tend to maybe look more at the PDP and its crisis,” he stated.
Despite the current turmoil, Moro remained optimistic about the party’s future, expressing confidence that the PDP could return to its winning ways if the internal issues were properly addressed and resolved.
“I see a bright future for the party if we demonstrate some courage, some political will to properly do the right thing. Then we are back on our winning ways,” Moro concluded.