2019: PDP Holds Emergency NEC Meeting Over Coalition Of Parties

Peoples Democratic Party

PDP Summons All Aspirants Of Osun State Governorship

Ahead of the 2019 general election, an emergency meeting has been called by the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party over the requirements of some members of the coalition group.

The NEC meeting will be held there after the meeting of its Board of Trustees, both meetings will be held on Monday in Abuja.

The national caucus had earlier met in Abuja on Sunday night.

Report has it that there has been some rising issues by some parties in respect to the coalition deal that was signed by PDP and some parties and how to snatch power from the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2019.

Some of the issues, which include, a possibility of a change of name for the PDP and positions where other political parties apart from the PDP could field candidates in the elections.

A member of BOT in PDP, who spoke with Punch, stated that the meeting would also be targeted at discussing how to receive those expected to defect to the party within the week.

He said, “The NEC meeting and others before it are important because of the issues raised by the coalition groups.

“For example, some are still insisting that we should change our name and logo, while others want to know how they will benefit in terms of fielding of candidates for the elections.

“We were manipulated in the Ekiti State governorship election because the coalition did not work. Now, the Osun State governorship election is approaching. We need to finalise that before all the political parties send the names of their candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“We need to discuss which party will step down for the other and so on. We cannot go to that battle as a scattered group. If we do, we could be whipped again.”

Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, the spokesperson of PDP, confirmed the meeting and its agenda.

He, however, said that the meeting would “take action on all pending issues”, adding that the party had not said it was changing its name.

In light of the primary that was held in Osun State on Saturday, the party has called on all the 11 governorship aspirants to a meeting in Abuja.

Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of the party, will oversee the meeting and will also be attended by all the members of its National Working Committee.

It was gathered that some of the aspirants had complained about the conduct of the primary which was won by Senator Nurudeen Adeleke.

Apart from him, others expected at the meeting are Sen. Akanbi Abdulrasheed, Dr Oyewumi Olalere, Mr Nathaniel Oke (SAN), Sen. Ogunwale Felix and Alhaji Fatai Akinbade.

Others are Dr Ezekiel Adeniji, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Dr Ayoade Adewepo, Rafiu Bello and Prof. Adeolu Durotoye.

It was gathered that Ogunbiyi, who came a close second to Adeleke, had petitioned the Governorship Appeal Committee that he was not fairly treated during the election.

Ologbondiyan, who confirmed the holding of the meeting, said that the committee would not take sides in anything that “is brought before it.”