“Stop escalating the crisis” – Wike’s associates warn PDP governors

Loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have issued a stern warning to state governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urging them to avoid escalating the party’s internal crisis.

The warning comes after the governors affirmed Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary, despite the ongoing legal dispute over the position.

Wike’s camp insists that Samuel Anyanwu remains the legitimate National Secretary, as per a restraining order issued by the Court of Appeal, pending a final ruling from the Supreme Court.

Members of the PDP National Executive Committee, including Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary Diran Odeyemi, have cautioned that the governors’ actions could worsen the party’s rift.

However, a senior PDP National Working Committee member stated that the governors’ decision was in the party’s best interest.

The party has been grappling with internal divisions and leadership struggles since before the 2023 general elections, leading to persistent instability.

The latest dispute centres around the position of National Secretary, with Anyanwu having been nominated by the South-East zone but facing opposition from Ude-Okoye’s faction, who were confirmed by the PDP governors during a meeting in Asaba, Delta State.

Anyanwu, however, maintains that he holds the position and has vowed to resist any attempt to remove him, claiming that the governors’ actions violate the court’s stay of execution.

Wike’s allies, while expressing confidence in Anyanwu’s legal standing, warned that any further actions by the governors could fuel chaos within the PDP, calling on security agencies to step in and uphold the rule of law.

An aide to Wike, who spoke to Punch on condition of anonymity, said the group was not worried about the governors’ decision.

The PDP chieftain said, “The central issue in the crisis is the matter of the secretary, and unfortunately, the PDP governors, in their decision to adopt Sunday Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary, are not being sincere.

“Anyanwu contested the Imo State governorship election as the National Secretary of the PDP; he didn’t resign because the constitution of the party doesn’t say he should resign. That is an aspect that these people are hiding from the public.

“The PDP constitution doesn’t mandate whoever is holding a party position to resign before contesting government offices. If you don’t resign from a position, it means it isn’t vacant. Can you fill a position that is not vacant? Anyanwu didn’t resign from his position. So, you can’t replace him. The first thing for those people to do is to remove him in accordance with the law of the party and thereafter replace him.

“The PDP governors claimed they accepted the court judgment on the National Secretary; if that is the case, they are not supposed to have adopted Ude-Okoye because there is a stay of execution on the judgment.

“The position of the law is that if a stay of execution has been filed, the judgment cannot come into effect until the stay of execution is decided. That is because if you had executed the judgment before the stay of execution was decided, then it would become a fait accompli if the verdict was decided in favour of the applicant.

“The judgment of the Appeal Court that these people are talking about cannot take effect because a stay of execution process has been filed.”