South-East PDP Threatens To Leave Party Over Ude-Okoye

The South-East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to review its relationship with the party if its recommendation of Sunday Ude-Okoye as national secretary is not honoured.

The body made this known at the end of its meeting held at the government house, Enugu, the capital of Enugu State on Wednesday.  

While reading out the communique, the zonal chairman, Ali Odefa, said that the South-East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP with unalloyed loyalty to the party since inception and even as members in other regions continue to defect.

The group also want the National Working Committee to uphold its decision and ensure that the Deputy National Secretary of the PDP functions as the Acting National Secretary pending the ratification of the nominee for the Office of the National Secretary by NEC in line with the recommendations of the PDP Governors’ Forum as adopted by the NWC.

“The South East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party. Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”

The South-East caucus threatened to reconsider its continued membership in the party if its position is further delayed, despite its longstanding loyalty to the PDP.

“The South East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP from inception. In PDP’s near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the party.

“Currently, while the party has been losing key members post-2023 general elections, the South East PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the Party by rallying major opposition figures such as in Enugu where the Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial candidate, two LP House of Representatives Members, numerous members of the House of Assembly, among other stalwarts into the PDP fold.

“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves. This would bring to a closure to the needless lingering dispute over the matter.

“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the communique concluded.

There has been a tussle between Ude-Okoye and Samuel Anyanwu over the position of the PDP National Secretary, with both men laying claim to the position.