…Party Directs Ogidi Committee To Strengthen, Reclaim Structures
Eshiorameh Sebastian, Abuja
Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to explore all legal avenues to reclaim its mandates from Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and other prominent members who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At an emergency meeting held on Tuesday at the party’s Abuja secretariat, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) directed the Emma Ogidi-led caretaker committee to assess and reclaim the party’s political structures in Delta State. This move follows the high-profile defections of Governor Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the APC.
Meanwhile, the NWC is set to meet with PDP governors in the coming days to resolve lingering disputes over the party’s national secretary position.
The emergency session, called in response to a wave of defections, saw the NWC adopt key recommendations from the PDP Governors’ Forum to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. Among the decisions ratified were:
The scheduling of a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for 27th May 2025.
– An early National Convention, to be held from 28th–30th August 2025 in Kano.
– The formation of two critical committees:
– AZoning Committee, headed by Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.
– A National Convention Committee, chaired by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.
Speaking to journalists after the marathon meeting, PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, remained defiant. No amount of intimidation or mischief will break this party, he declared. We are taking decisive steps to rebuild, reorganise, and emerge stronger.
He said, “They can coerce, like I said earlier, cajole and intimidate our members into joining them.
But they can only do that because they feel they have what it takes. When the time comes, they will receive the result from Nigerians. It has happened before, and it will repeat itself.
“The parameters that will make Nigerians revolt against them are all in place. This government has been so insensitive to the yearnings and feelings of people.
They have nothing to offer. They have not shown any remorse. We are not conquered people. “We are Nigerians, taxpaying Nigerians, law-abiding citizens, and we have rights; and when the time comes, Nigerians will show them that they have rights. “2027 is between Nigerians, Tinubu and the APC. So, I want to urge our supporters to remain calm.
We’ve just instructed the zonal caretaker committee to oversee the party in Delta after dissolving all the structures that have already been there since the majority of them have shifted.
And in no time, we’ll constitute a caretaker committee. “We’ve also approved the zonal congresses that have so far taken place in the three zones, visa-avis, South-West, North-East and South-East.
“And also approved a caretaker committee of North-Central zone, pending when they will have their elections. With this, I want to urge our teeming supporters to continue to support the party. “We may have our own internal crisis, which to me is surmountable.
The beauty of this party is that it has always resolved its crisis. “We have also instructed the National Legal Adviser to recover our mandate that they have taken away.
The fortune of this party cannot be left in the hands of our adversaries, so we will take legal action to retrieve those mandates.
“The Electoral Act says whenever you leave you must leave the chair that you have occupied. We also want to warn that party faithful should be faithful to the party as you can see we have an NWC that is devoid of any crisis. “No amount of intimidation or mischief can bring down this party.
It has survived all sorts of machinations in the past and this one is just a child’s play. We’ve already crossed the line; we’re looking forward to 2027 where the country will speak based on the existing hardship that has been deliberately imposed on the people.”
Damagum, however, said that all the recommendations would be sent to the National Executive Committee (NEC), as the NWC can only initiate and recommend to NEC, adding, “We are recommending and forwarding all these issues to NEC to take an appropriate action.”
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