This followed claims by some party stalwarts that the meeting was not valid on the grounds that it was not called by the embattled national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had said because the embattled National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, did not issue the notice of NEC, the meeting was merely a stakeholders’ meeting.
The same sentiment was expressed by Senator Anyanwu when he spoke with journalists last week in Abuja. Anyanwu said, apart from the fact that he did not call for the meeting, the PDP leadership’s decision to allow Chief Ali Odefa, the deputy national chairman (South East), into the meeting has made the NEC a nullity.
He claimed that Ali Odefa was suspended by the party in his ward, local government and state and was therefore not qualified to attend the NEC, stressing that the gathering could only be called a stakeholders’ meeting.
But during an interactive session with journalists at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, insisted that the NEC was properly called by the acting National Chairman, Amb Umar Damagum, who also presided over the meeting.
The PDP spokesman said, “This party operates a constitution, and it talks about how to convene a NEC meeting. The constitution is very clear. It is the chairman of the party that summons NEC.
“You can recall that the chairman, after the 600th NWC meeting, which you all covered, he gave you notice or summoned and gave you a date. Also at the NEC meeting, the chairman presided.
“So if the chairman presided, I would be wondering why it would not be a NEC meeting. But again, we have gone beyond all of that. It’s in the public domain that this party is trying to get together in unity and ensure that we work together, not just for the party, not just for our individual interest, but the overall interest of the Nigerian people and democracy.”
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