PDP South East leaders insist on Udeh-Okoye as party scribe

Major stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South East have urged the National Working Committee (NWC) and other organs of the party to ratify Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.

The party leaders, including Enugu state governor, Peter Mbah and the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the ratification would be in line with the choice of the party in the zone, the PDP Constitution, and a valid court order.

They insisted that they would no longer tolerate the delay in the ratification of Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary, as the zone was not a slave to the PDP.

The South East PDP took the stand on Tuesday in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting of the South East Zonal Executive Committee and party leaders held in Enugu under the leadership of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu and PDP National Vice Chairman (South East), Ali Odefa; with Wabara among others in attendance.

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In his opening remarks, Mbah said: “We have carried the banner of PDP in the South East with great pride. So, when we have come together, as a people on a matter that affects us as PDP members in the South East and a decision is taken in line with our party’s Constitution and the electoral guidelines, I think it would be a mistake if that position is disrespected.”

Wabara, on his part, expressed pain over the triviality with which the PDP had treated the South East zone of the party.

Other signatories to the communiqué and party chieftains at the meeting include former governors Achike Udenwa, Sam Egwu, and Emeka Ihedioha; former PDP National Chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo; Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu; and BOT members, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Ambassador Justina Eze, Senator Ben Obi, and Dame Rita Mbah.

Daily Trust reports that the latest resolution of the zone is coming over a month after Senator Samuel Anyanwu returned to his office as the party’s national scribe after losing the Imo governorship election.

Recall that the trouble over the party’s national secretary position started when Anyanwu won the primary of the party and became the candidate of the last Imo governorship election.

Immediately Anyanwu started his campaign, the South East Caucus of the PDP met and endorsed Udeh-Okoye to replace him, a development that was resisted by Anyanwu and the NWC.