The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appealed to its South East chapter not to follow through on its threat to exit the party over unresolved internal issues.

The warning came days after the South East bloc, backing Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary, vowed to dump the PDP if its demand for recognition is ignored.

On Tuesday, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Amb. Umar Damagum—represented by Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja—received the caucus’ resolution at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

While addressing the delegation, Damagum urged the South East leaders to remain committed to dialogue, emphasizing that the party remains the most inclusive and grassroots-based political platform in the country.

He called for calm and assured them that their concerns would be addressed in line with party procedures and fairness.

Details later…

Amidst a wave of high-profile defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Senate Caucus of the PDP on Tuesday declared that the party remains unshaken and robust at the grassroots. Speaking after plenary in Abuja, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), said the party was neither intimidated nor weakened by the exit of governors, senators, and lawmakers, insisting that PDP’s strength lies in its widespread grassroots appeal.

“We are not rattled,” Moro said. “We remain confident that the ordinary party members across the country still believe in the PDP. No amount of defection by political elites will erase the party’s connection to the people. Our optimism is high that the reconciliation committee led by Senator Bukola Saraki has the capacity to resolve or minimize all internal issues within the party.”

While acknowledging the recent defections as a challenge, the caucus described them as temporary setbacks that do not diminish the PDP’s stature as a national political force. Moro assured that the party was actively engaging in reconciliation processes, planning zonal congresses, and preparing for a national convention to usher in new leadership. Flanked by Senators Seriake Dickson, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Abdul Ningi, and others, Moro emphasized that PDP remains Nigeria’s leading opposition and a strong alternative to the ruling party.

On the prospect of political coalitions, the caucus welcomed the idea but maintained that such alliances must be party-led, not driven by individual ambitions. “As Nigeria’s foremost opposition party, our umbrella is big enough to accommodate all groups desiring a united front,” Moro said. Responding to questions on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s olive branch to Labour Party’s Peter Obi, Moro clarified that Atiku, like any politician, has the right to seek alliances, but the Senate caucus’s statement was focused on party direction, not personal ambitions. The caucus concluded by urging party members to remain loyal, warning that the celebration of opposition party disintegration only threatens democracy.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday appealed to its South East chapter not to carry out its threat to exit the party over unresolved issues surrounding the position of the National Secretary.

The appeal follows a resolution reached at a recent meeting of the South East PDP caucus in Enugu, where members expressed strong dissatisfaction with the party’s delay in officially recognizing Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as National Secretary. The caucus warned it could consider severing ties with the PDP if its demand was not addressed.

Receiving the resolution at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum — represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja — urged the South East leaders to remain calm and committed to the unity of the party.

Damagum assured the delegation that the concerns raised would be thoroughly reviewed and that justice would be done. He emphasized that the matter would be deliberated upon by the National Working Committee (NWC) and forwarded to the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for next week.

Addressing the delegation, Arapaja said:

> “I understand your frustration. But in any political family, disagreements are inevitable. This is a party of the people — where every voice matters. Let’s not abandon our house simply because the roof is leaking. Together, we can fix it.”

He described the PDP as a democratic platform where members can freely express their views and urged the South East not to allow the disagreement weaken their longstanding commitment to the party.

> “This is a zone that has always stood with the PDP. You have made sacrifices for the party. I believe we will find a solution that restores confidence and morale.”

Earlier, the leader of the South East PDP caucus and Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, formally presented the region’s resolution, reaffirming their unanimous endorsement of Rt. Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye — a former National Youth Leader of the party — as their preferred candidate for the role of National Secretary.

Ngwu reminded the NWC that the South East remains a stronghold of the PDP, having consistently delivered electoral victories in past elections, and urged the party not to ignore the zone’s request.

> “We’re not creating a new precedent. There are examples in the past where NWC members were replaced based on zonal consensus. We ask for fairness. This is about reviving the confidence of our people and charting a path of recovery for the PDP,” Ngwu said.

He appealed to the leadership to treat the matter on its merit and act in the collective interest of the party’s future, warning that failure to address the issue could alienate one of PDP’s most loyal zones.

The PDP is expected to make a decision on the matter at its NEC meeting in the coming days.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been cautioned not to honour an invitation by the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to commission just one project.

A former political ally of Governor Otti, Prof. Moses A. Orji, who stated this on Tuesday, asked in which state has the President even come to commission a single project, adding Governor Otti needs time to put his house in order.

The President is reportedly scheduled to visit Abia State on May 23, to among other things, commission the 6.5 kilometre Port Harcourt Road in Aba, which was rebuilt by the administration of Governor Alex Otti administration.

In an open letter to the President, Prof. Orji said, “it could even be in the personal interest of Governor Otti that the President doesn’t come now. Perhaps Otti needs time to put his house in order.”

Orji cautioned that it is not enough to drag the President of the Federal Republic about just because the governor’s cousin is a Federal Minister, and ‘one of those who has the ear of Mr. President.

He said: “In which state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the president gone to commission just a single completed project, and nothing more?

“Why would Mr. President go to Enugu state to inaugurate seven (7) different key projects completed (by a fellow first termer with Otti), and then feel the same sense of duty to be called upon to inaugurate just one in Abia?

” Why would the President go to commission the dazzling wonderland called Funcity built by Governor Soludo of Anambra state, and not ask us questions about the whereabouts of Abia’s ‘Recreational Facilities,’ which was completed last year at the cost of over N7 billions but is nowhere to be found? Or do we think the presidency is not aware?

“Why would we want to drag the President into our numerous cases of ‘flag-offs’ when work has not commenced on any of the previous flag-offs?

“What about our flagged-off Seaport, Fertilizer Plants, Refineries etc at the proposed Owazza Integrated Industrial Park? Has anybody seen the feasibility study report, or the Environmental Impact Assessment Report of any of them? But they have been flagged-off.

“What about the Pensioners who are proposing to come out in their numbers to make their case before the President? What are we going to tell Mr President? That we are the only state in the South East still owing Pensioners their arrears. What would be our governor’s excuse for wanting Abia pensioners to forfeit their earned pensions when our monthly inflows has quadrupled?.”

Prof. Orji, who recalled that Governor Otti, about a year ago, nearly pulled off a similar stunt when he tried to drag Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state to Abia state, accused his administration of employing propaganda and brinkmanship.

Orji said: “Our Governor wanted his colleague from Lagos state to come and commission a 200 metre track road (Yellow Avenue) on the outskirts of Aba, a street leading to the private residence of one of his business friends. Of course his intended guest caught wind of it, and refused to show up.

“I am therefore of the opinion that this make-believe approach to scoring dubious political points by an administration that is grossly underperforming should be exposed and discouraged.

“For example, what if the President decides to have a breather at the Government House, Umuahia which has a Presidential Lounge? Would Mr Otti tell the President to follow him to his private residence at Isiala Ngwa? Remember the President is not coming on a social visit? Or would our Governor tell his august guest that tortoise, vulture and other animals were used to lay the foundation of our Government House?

“Again the Abia ‘Medical City’ at Owerrinta is within the precincts of our Owerrinta Rice Complex. What if the President decides to have a glimpse of the ‘Owerrinta Rice Mill. The proximity of the ‘two projects’ could tempt the President to kill two birds with one stone.”

Orji submitted that Abia state have been wallowing in the morass of propaganda and brinkmanship while states like Enugu and Anambra have taken a quantum leap forward, adding, “yet we may not have learnt our lessons as our governor continues to fire broadsides at his predecessors, and as he continues to blame the rate of the Dollar to the Naira for the inflated value of his contracts.