Wike faces opposition from PDP governors

A power struggle is developing between the governors chosen on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike on Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s intended return to the position of national secretary of the party.

The governorship election for Imo State finished on November 11 with Anyanwu losing.

There had been pressure on him to relinquish the position of national secretary and focus on his governorship efforts before to his defeat.

The South-east selected Sunday Udeh Okoye, a former national youth leader of the PDP, to succeed Anyanwu, but the power struggle prevented him from taking office.

The PDP was directed to replace Senator Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary in October by a Federal High Court ruling in Enugu State, but the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party chose not to follow the court’s ruling.

On the penultimate Tuesday, Anyanwu was rumoured to have hurried to Abuja as the NWC was about to swear in Okoye, causing the event to be postponed.

Anyanwu brought a court order directing him to take up his duties as national secretary of the PDP NWC.The governors’ intervention, according to a source close to the PDP governors, delayed Anyanwu’s return because they didn’t want Wike to take over as the party’s leader.

Ambassador Illya Damagum, the PDP’s acting national chairman, responded by declaring that Anyanwu would not take office until the conflicting court rulings were settled.

“We encouraged the two sides to step down because there are conflicting court orders. We have decided and appointed the Deputy National Secretary to continue acting as Secretary until such time that we will resolve all the issues, including the conflicting court orders and resolutions of the South-east,” the speaker stated. Thus, there is no disagreement and we are discussing this matter together.

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Adolphus Wabara, the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), wrote to Anyanwu instructing him to relinquish the job and focus on his campaign as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State. This letter marked the beginning of the power struggle for the national secretary post.But Wike openly insulted Wabara, voicing his disagreement.

Wike asserted that the PDP’s Board of Trustees lacked the power to choose candidates for the position of national secretary.Wike further conveyed his displeasure that in his correspondence with the acting PDP chair, the former Senate President referred to Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as the “former governor of Imo State.”

“Your Excellency, permit me to observe with respect that the Board of Trustees (BoT) lack the moral authority to intervene on the issue of who occupies or should occupy the Office of the National Secretary of the Party,” Wike wrote in his letter to the acting national chairman. Wike responded to Wabara.

Wike went on, “Especially considering that the BoT was unable to use its good offices as the party’s conscience to step in and resolve the crises that rocked the party in the lead-up to the general election of 2023 when party officials flagrantly broke the party constitution.

“Secondly, it is emphasised to the Acting Chairman of the BoT that the matter of the party’s National Secretary is outside the BoT’s purview and jurisdiction.”

It was claimed that Wike was the only one who had an impact on Anyanwu’s rise.