Crisis: PDP suspends NEC meeting indefinitely

PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

THERE were indications on Tuesday that the Peoples Democratic Party might have suspended indefinitely the holding of its National Executive Council meeting in the light of internal wrangling rocking the ruling party.

A member of the party’s hierarchy confided in our correspondent in Abuja that the PDP’s National Working Committee could not call for any NEC meeting now “until we realise how far (the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony) Anenih can go in his tour of  the states to beg the governors to sheathe their swords.”

The PDP held its last NEC meeting in June 2012 whereas the party’s constitution stipulates that NEC meeting must hold every quarter.

Also, the PDP is said to be delaying the constitution of its disciplinary committee due to the lack of peace and cohesion in the party.

 “It will amount to shooting themselves in the foot for the NWC to call NEC meeting now with the governors up-in-arms against the party’s leadership. Let Anenih go and beg them first,” the PDP chieftain said.

The governors on the platform of the party, at the height of their anger against the NWC and chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, had in January asked for the urgent convening of NEC.

The party leaders have however refused to heed the call of the governors with analysts suggesting that Tukur would be wary of convening such a meeting with the suspicion that the state chief executives would seize the platform to pass a vote of no confidence in his leadership.

The membership and voting right at the NEC are tilted in favour of the governors who are said to wield influence on members from their states.

But the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the PDP NEC meeting would hold “after Easter.”

Metuh, who, few weeks back, had promised that the PDP would hold its NEC meeting after the election of the BoT chairman, declined to specify the date the party would call the meeting.

He however in a release on Tuesday commended the tour of the PDP states by Anenih, saying the BoT chairman was living up to his reputation as a consensus builder.

“His (Anenih) intervention at a time the National Working Committee has embarked upon a tour to achieve total reconciliation and engender internal cohesion is worthy of commendation,” he said.

PUNCH