The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sank deeper into confusion yesterday over who is the National Secretary.

Leaders of the party, who met with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the question: “Who is the recognised National Secretary?” failed to get an answer, it was learnt.

Sources said they were told by INEC chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu during the closed session of their interactions that it is for the party to decide who its National Secretary is and not the responsibility of the electoral agency.

Prof. Yakubu was quoted as saying that the Supreme Court judgment is clear that the issue is an internal affair which only the party can decide.

The source added that the shocked PDP leaders promised to go back to the drawing board on the matter.

The party leadership resolved to convene a larger stakeholders’ meeting to take a position on the crisis after their meeting with INEC.

The delegation to the INEC office, led by Umar Damagum, included Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Caleb Matfwang (Plateau), former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi, Senator Seriake Dickson, and Senator Ben Obi.

Damagum, who spoke with reporters after the meeting, which lasted for about one hour, said the outcome would be communicated to the larger house.

He said: “We had a very frank and fruitful discussion. Politics, as you know, is dynamic.

“We will go back and meet our larger stakeholders and relate to them all that has taken place today, and we will come up with a position immediately.”

Speaking before the meeting, Damagum said the party leaders were at the INEC headquarters to discuss the issues relating to the status of the National Secretary.

He said in view of the Supreme Court judgment on the position of the National Secretary, the NEC of the party had mandated him to sign letters to the commission without the Secretary.

He said the letter he signed informing the commission of its forthcoming NEC meeting was queried by the commission, necessitating the meeting to iron out the issue.

Prof Yakubu said the meeting was at the instance of the party, adding that the commission was interested in knowing who is the actual National Secretary of the party.

He said the commission received a letter from the party signed by the Chairman inviting it to monitor the 100th NEC meeting of the party.

The INEC Chairman said: “Ninety-nine times you wrote to invite the commission, the letters were signed by the Chairman and Secretary.

“This meeting is at the instance of the party. They requested to interact with us, and our doors are always open to meet with leaders of political parties in our capacity as the registrar and regulator of political parties in Nigeria. 

“You may recall that not long ago, we received similar visitors when we played host to the Labour Party.

“The acting National Chairman has stated the purpose of the meeting, which is to discuss the status of the party’s  National Secretary, particularly regarding the letter we sent to the party on the request for us to monitor their 100th NEC meeting.

“I am glad that the meeting was the 100th meeting of the NEC of the party, meaning that 99 times in the past, you fully complied by inviting us by means of a letter signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the party.

“So, there are issues to discuss, and we look forward to this important clarification from the party as to who is the Secretary.

“In the last couple of months, we received letters from the party saying that one Mr Ude Okoye was the Secretary.

“Thereafter, the party changed its mind and said it was Senator Anyanwu.

“Thereafter, the party changed its mind  to say that it was  Mr. Sholeye. And again, the party changed its mind to say it’s Senator Anyanwu.

“And the last letter from the party actually has no Secretary at all, because only the Acting National Chairman signed.

“But we are here as the registrar and regulator of political parties, and we hope that as we go into the working sessions, we will fully understand where you are coming from and what more you expect from us as the registrar and regulator of political parties.”

PDP Board of Trustees member Eddy Olafeso yesterday lamented the stalemate in the party.

The NWC of the party is in a state of confusion, Olafeso said while featuring on national television last night.

He, however, expressed hope of redemption for the torn-apart party.

He said: “It was really disgraceful that the party NWC wrote five different letters to INEC over a single office.

“This is what is called total confusion and it is a shame. I keep wondering how we descended this low in a party that was in power for 16 years.”

Asked if the PDP can recover, Olafeso said nothing was impossible, adding that he and others have been saddled with the responsibility of reconciliation.

On his disposition to coalition talks, the PDP stalwart said: “No single party can defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which now has a sagacious politician, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as its leader.”

But, he said, before the coalition could achieve the goal of defeating Tinubu in 2027, there was a need for unity within opposition parties.

“How can we achieve anything meaningful with a coalition if we are not united and resolve our internal affairs?” Olafeso queried.

Minister for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike during a media briefing claimed that a PDP delegation led by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah was told during a fact-finding mission to the INEC headquarters that based on the Supreme Court judgment, Sen. Anyanwu remains the PDP National Secretary until the expiration of his tenure in December.

That claim had not been denied by the PDP.

But yesterday’s interaction with INEC had further thrown the party into crisis because the Southeast geo-political zone insists that Sunday Ude-Okoye is the National Secretary and that Anyanwu ought to have gone, having left to contest for governor in Imo State.

Wike, defending Anyanwu, had cited the case of Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, who he said, never resigned as PDP chairman in the state before contesting and getting the party’s ticket to run for governor in 2023.

He said Anyanwu did no wrong by returning to his office after losing the election in Imo.

It was learnt that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) prevailed on Anyanwu to sign the nomination form of the party’s candidate in the November Anambra State Governorship election along with Damgum.

Also yesterday, the crisis rocking the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) took a new turn with the National Working Committee (NWC) dragging its suspended National  Chairman, Shehu Gabam, and two members of its members before anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

The other NWC members are the National Auditor, Nze Clarkson, and National Youth Leader, Uchechukwu Chukwuma.

Their suspension was contained in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba  Aiyenigba, after an NWC meeting in Abuja yesterday.

The statement also announced that the Deputy National Chairman, Sadiq Abubakar, had been directed to lead the SDP pending the outcome of investigations into alleged financial infractions by the suspended officials.

Swiftly, Gabam dismissed his suspension as ‘fake.’

“I remain the national chairman of the SDP as you can see,’’ he declared, describing the NWC meeting in which he was suspended as illegal.

He also said those accusing him of financial impropriety must remember that ‘’the party’s account statement’’ contains their names and monies paid to them based on their memos.

Besides, he accused the coalition of leading opposition politicians of causing the SPD crisis.

Tension enveloped the party’s national secretariat as early as 10 am yesterday when some NWC members and workers were subjected to a thorough check before being allowed in.

Reporters invited to cover the meeting were denied access.

The Nation gathered that the meeting, which started peacefully at about 10.30 am, was nearly disrupted 15 minutes after by a group of youths who pulled down the gate of the secretariat when security personnel tried to deny a car conveying a party chieftain entrance.

Reporters who monitored the development were later harassed by the security agents, who forcefully seized the telephones of two of them. 

The phones were later released. 

Peace was, however, restored by a security team.

The statement reads: “In exercise of its exclusive powers as guaranteed in Article 19.1; 19.3(i) and 19.5 of the Party Constitution (2022 as Ammended), the National Working Committee  (NWC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has approved the immediate suspension of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, along with two members of the NWC, namely Nze Nnadi Clarkson, national auditor and Uchechukwu Chukwuma, national youth leader, over gross misconduct.”

The statement explained that the decision “followed a resolution of a meeting of the NWC where overwhelming evidence were presented linking the suspended officials to a series of unauthorised financial transactions.’’

It added that the decision was ‘’to demonstrate to the general public that the party, generally esteemed by Nigerians as a disciplined party and a credible alternative political platform, for national redemption, has zero tolerance for corruption and abuse of office.’’

An interim probe panel, according to the statement, “has been constituted to audit all financial records and recommend further disciplinary or legal actions.’’

“In the interim, the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar, has been directed to assume leadership of the party pending the outcome of the investigations.”

The statement further indicated that the suspension of the three officials had also been communicated to INEC.

Gabam debunked his  suspension and called on the public to regard it as “fake.” 

“I remain the national chairman of the SDP, as you can see,” he told reporters at the party’s secretariat.

Gabam accused the coalition of opposition politicians of using some members of the NWC to fuel the crisis in the SDP.

He argued that there was no official meeting of the party’s NWC where their suspension was taken and wondered where the statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Aiyenigba, came from.

Gabam pointed out that a private legal firm had earlier approached INEC and requested a meeting of the NWC, which was rejected.

His words: “INEC tagged the request by the party’s National Secretary to hold an NWC meeting as illegal since it didn’t have my signature.’’

Defending his allegation against the coalition of opposition politicians, he said: “Some of us understand where it is coming from because this coalition and some of the people in the coalition believe that at all costs, they either get SDP or create confusion around SDP.

“Many forces from so many fronts see SDP as very, very deadly. Or very, very strong that they cannot manoeuvre over.’’

On the allegation of financial malfeasance, Gabam said: “I’m sure by the time we submit the complete printout of our account from the banks to the security agencies, they will see everything. They will see that money has gone into everyone’s account; all the NWC members. It has not excluded anybody.

“I’m ready to account for my tenure any minute, any time.” 

He also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call security agencies to order so that politicians would not use them to truncate democracy.

“This is very, very dangerous for our democracy. Anytime we have leaders who don’t want to accommodate a dissenting voice, the country is gone. Democracy will disappear,” he said.