PDP rejects report on South-South Zonal Congress

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected a report on the conduct of the South-South zonal congress of the party.

The PDP South-South zone had been enmeshed in crisis over the deliberate sidelining of elected governors and other zonal leaders prompting the National Working Committee (NWC) to put the Zonal congress slated for February 22 on hold. The chairman of the party in the six states of the South-South geo-political zone and other zonal leaders had also cautioned against holding the Zonal congress without the consent of the governors and critical stakeholders of the party from the South-South zone. 

However, the Zonal Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, had gone ahead to hold the congress where he was returned and other officials elected.

In a twist, Orbih in a letter jointly signed by the elected zonal secretary, George Turner, and addressed to Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, noted that the letter served as a formal report of the congress held.

Orbih and Turnah in the letter claimed that the congress was conducted in substantial compliance with the Constitution of the party.

The duo listed names and offices of other officials elected and expressed commitment to work tirelessly towards fostering unity and strengthening party discipline.

Investigations revealed that the Directorate of Organisation and Mobilisation rejected the letter in compliance with the stance of the NWC that there was no South-South zonal congress.

The directorate of organisation and mobilisation which received the letter yesterday had stamped the three-page letter as rejected mail.

The Acting National Chairman, Amb Umar Iliya Damagum, and national secretary, S.K.E Udeh Okoye recently wrote to the chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) informing the commission of the rescheduling of the South-south Zonal Congress.