News
PDP split over NEC meeting! *We’ll go ahead – anti-Damagun faction
True to the position of Bode George, former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting earlier shelved by Umar Damagun, Acting National Chairman, must hold as scheduled, some chieftains of the party are already putting finishing touches to that effect.
Damagun, had on Thursday, June 26, a day after Damagun announced the recognition of Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary and shelving of the NEC meeting earlier scheduled for this Monday, insisted that the meeting must hold, regardless.
A guest on The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS, television, George, told his host that he did not believe in the suggestion that the crises were irreparable, arguing that the situation stemmed from internal decisions and personal ambitions rather than structural failure.
His words: “I have been in this party since 1998. We have had crisis. There is no political organisation or any organisation, whether political or otherwise, that will not have crisis. And this is self-inflicted crisis. That’s what I’m saying. The people put their interest before the corporate interest of the party.
“I am pleading with all of them, those who still love this party, to please come down. We will meet on Monday. Call it whatever name you want to call it. And we will resolve our crisis. We will resolve it by Monday.”
When asked whether he believes the PDP can still be rescued despite its internal wranglings, George maintained that the ability to confront uncomfortable truths behind closed doors was a measure of leadership competence and party maturity.
He said: “When you have crisis within the party, like we have now, or between the legislative arm, the executive arm, and the party, it is the responsibility of the elders, the custodian of the liabilities and the assets of the party to weigh in. What I had done, and I will be quite explicit, is this. You know, there are two arguments about the meeting for Monday.
“The chairman said there will be no NEC meeting and stated there will be caucus meeting. Because according to him, you needed 21 days notice to the INEC. Now, the other members of the working committee said it was a postponement of NEC to the 30th of June. And that both the electoral act of 2022 and the INEC regulatory guidelines for political parties are right here.
“And now everybody is interpreting it in different manners. But I will read it for the benefit of the listening public. And let me tell you, there is no organisation anywhere in the world you will not have crisis. But your ability to close your doors, tell yourself some home truths, and reassess the areas of friction will be a measure of your competence to the public. I don’t see this as a breaking point. It’s a lesson. It’s a deep lesson for us.”
Apparently latching on that argument, the anti-Damagun faction of the party, who said they were covered by the PDP to convene the meeting, insist it must hold as scheduled.
Taofeek Arapaja, Deputy National Chairman (South) and other members of the National Working Committee, insisted on Sunday that the parley would hold on Monday to among other things, receive updates on the activities of the zoning committee and the national convention organising committee.
“By virtue of section 31(3) of the constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) the Monday, 30th June, 2025 date for the 100th NEC meeting is binding on all organs and members, and as such no organ, group or officer of the Party has the power to alter, change, vary, veto or convert the already convened NEC meeting.
“Contrary to a purported notice being circulated in the social media suggesting that the 100th NEC meeting has been converted to a special expanded national caucus meeting, the NWC states in clear terms that the said notice did not emanate from the PDP and should be disregarded.
“The NWC emphasises that there is no provision whatsoever for an expanded national caucus in the constitution of the PDP or any guideline of the party. For the avoidance of doubt, section 30 of the constitution of the PDP is unambiguous in providing for a national caucus for the party with its composition, functions and meetings clearly spelt out, leaving no room for any form of expansion.
“The suggestion, proposal or announcement for a special expanded national caucus meeting’ is therefore unconstitutional and cannot take any decision for the PDP being not a recognised organ or body in the PDP. The PDP is guided by its constitution, due process and ethos of internal democracy, which must be preserved always.”
However, another notice issued on Sunday night by Anyanwu, indicated a different idea of the nature of the meeting that would hold, stating that instead of NEC, it would be that of the National Caucus of the party, involving statutory members, viz: deputy national officers, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), state Chairmen, members of the National Assembly caucus, former National Working Committee, National Ex-officio members, former governors, and immediate past gubernatorial candidates.
“NWC of our Great Party, PDP, wishes to inform and invite the following Stakeholders to a Special Expanded National Caucus Meeting, Anyanwu, had said of his own version of the meeting fixed for National Secretariat (NEC Hall), Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja FCT.
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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