Amid growing tensions in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chairman of the party’s national reconciliation committee, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, yesterday, declared that the committee has reconciled feuding members of the National Working Committee, NWC.
He said this shortly after a meeting with NWC members in Abuja, as former governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, said the crisis bedeviling the party would soon end, adding that everything would be okay before the 2027 general elections.
Recall that the PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, suspended the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser, Ajibade.
In response, Ologunagba and Ajibade suspended Damagum and Anyanwu, leading to a stalemate, which was broken by the PDP Governors Forum.
Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had after a meeting with the feuding party leaders, called for a ceasefire and a return to the status quo.
We’ve resolved differences — Oyinlola
Responding to what transpired during the meeting, Oyinlola said: “To the glory of God, we have been able to resolve the differences that have been causing our party some headaches within the national working committee.
“We thank God that we have been able to open up to ourselves and resolve to move on as a united national working committee, which is what we need for the progress of our party.
“The issues resolved are the differences that have permeated the rank and file of the NWC. I cannot be itemizing them for you.”
Asked whether the coast was now clear for the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting scheduled for tomorrow, the former Osun governor said: “That wasn’t part of our discussion and I’m not in a position to talk about the NEC meeting.
“I’m the chairman of the national reconciliation committee, there were differences in the national working committee and that I have done and my job is finished.”
Those present at the meeting included Damagum, Anyanwu; Ologunagba; national treasurer, Yayari Ahmed; deputy national chairman (South), Taofeeq Arapaja; and a member of the reconciliation committee, Mr Segun Showumi, among others.
Solution to PDP crisis near — Ikpeazu
In like manner, Ikpeazu noted that the conflict in the party was natural, adding that most political parties could not survive what the PDP has survived.
Speaking to journalists in Aba, Ikpeazu said the PDP had more inbuilt mechanisms to resolve its problems than any other political party in Nigeria.
He explained that until a party faced problems and got out of them, it would not be able to know whether it had sufficient resilience and buffers to survive.
His words: “Most of the other political parties, apart from my party, can’t survive what we have survived so far. But we have inbuilt mechanisms to resolve our conflicts because partisan politics is such that there has to be conflicts and I’m sure the resolution of the conflict is in sight and everything will be okay.”
On his future political plans, Ikpeazu said; “My plan is to be a strong party man, remain focused and look unto God. There’s nothing that has come to me that didn’t come from heaven and heaven is still open.”
I won’t abandon PDP— Akobundu
Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Abia Central senatorial district, Senator Austin Akobundu, promised not to abandon the PDP, saying it had done much for him.
Akobundu, a former national organising secretary of the PDP, said: “I won’t abandon the PDP; the party has done much for me. I don’t know about others. This is the time to work for the party. I can’t abandon the PDP when the party needs me.
“This is payback time for the party, I won’t leave PDP. Even if I am going to be the only one standing I won’t mind. You know my training and you know where I am coming from. I will fight for the PDP and I will stand with the party.”
However, uncertainty still persists as some persons said to be acting at the behest of a PDP northern governor were said to have filed a lawsuit seeking an order to compel the party to hold its NEC meeting tomorrow as scheduled.
The five-count suit, which was reportedly filed at a Zamfara Federal High Court yesterday, had the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the first and second respondents respectively.
As contained in the suit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to restrain the Damagum-led NWC from postponing the NEC meeting.
Contacted yesterday, party leaders at the national secretariat denied knowledge of the suit.
