Plot to Abort 99th NEC Meeting Averted 

*North Central chairmanship only pathway to fixing PDP, says Ologbondiyan 

Chuks Okocha in Abuja 

Plots to use the burial ceremony of the late wife of the Akwa Ibom State governor, Mrs Patience Umoh, as an excuse to shift the 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been aborted.

At the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, some members of the NWC had suggested that the NEC be shifted to another date to enable the party’ participate at the burial rites of Mrs Umoh.

But the moment the issue was raised, it was gathered that the National Treasurer, Mohammed Yayari, opposed the suggestion and insisted that the NEC must hold as planned.

Rather, the NWC meeting adopted the position that if there would any further shift, should be done by the meeting of the PDP governors expected to hold in Jos this weekend.

It was agreed that the party leadership should proceed to Uyo immediately after the meeting next Thursday.

Meanwhile, a former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, has said the pathway to fixing the PDP was by respecting the time-tested succession arrangement as provided for in Section 47 (6) of the PDP Constitution (2017 Amendment).

Ologbondiyan, who stated this when he spoke with North Central youths in Abuja, yesterday, noted that respect for the Constitution of the party remains the only pathway to fixing the issues in PDP and pave the way to fix Nigeria.

“Anything outside of this demand will end up an exercise in futility,” he stressed. 

“Leaders must look at the bigger picture and address the truth wherever it is required. We must tell those who have undertaken to either kill the PDP or render it comatose that the party is not a one-man organisation. 

“The founders named it the Peoples Democratic Party. It is, therefore, owned by the people of Nigeria and not any individual, no matter how well-placed in the society.”

He noted that the Acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Ilyasu Damagum, as well as his backers, should know that they were hurting Nigerians, they should allow PDP to be fixed so that Nigeria can also be fixed.

According to him, Damagum must not be encouraged to disrespect the soul of the party as embodied in the various organs of the PDP.