The zonal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-East yesterday took another twist, as Chidiebere Egwu said that he is the authentic South-East National Vice Chairman of the party and not Ali Odefa, maintaining that Odefa have been expelled from the party.

In a statement in Abakaliki, Egwu described a recent meeting of some stakeholders of the party, held in the Government House, Enugu, by the expelled former National Vice Chairman of the party, Odefa, as illegitimate.

Egwu noted that during a recent meeting in Abuja, the zonal stakeholders reaffirmed their support for Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary.
According to Egwu, the stakeholders’ meeting was attended by the party leaders in the South-East, including the immediate past governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, Samuel Anyanwu, Michael Amah Nnachi, Paulinus Igwe Nwagu, Jones Onyeriri, the Zonal Legal Adviser, Ukpai Ukairo, Zonal Organising Secretary, Mike Ahumibe, PDP Chairmen of Imo and Abia states, among many others.

He noted that the communiqué issued at the end of their meeting reiterated their call for the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to obey the Supreme Court ruling that explicitly reaffirmed the position of Anyanwu as the National Secretary. He said: “We are calling on the NWC and the general public to disregard the meeting held at the behest of Odefa.”

MEANWHILE, the South-East Zonal Executive Committee of the PDP has presented the renomination of Sunday Udeh-Okoye to the party’s Acting National Working Committee (NWC) as the national secretary.

Recall that the leadership of the PDP in the South-east, on May 14, renominated Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary. The party leadership in the region announced the resolution in a communique issued at the end of their meeting in Enugu on 14 May. They also resolved to consider dumping the PDP if the party’s national leadership fails to approve their nomination.