The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s has rejected a notice of meeting form the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP of its plan to hold its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting by the end of the month.
The implication is that the PDP may no longer go ahead with the much sought after meeting by many of its members to resolve the crisis rocking the party.
The magazine reported that the party had on May 30 sent its notice of meeting to the electoral umpire of its plan to hold its NEC on June 21. the notice is inline with the Electoral Act requiring political parties in the country to intimate INEC of its NEC meeting 21 days before the meeting.
The notice PDP/DOM/GF.2/VOL.1J/25-078 was signed by PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun and addressed to the chairman of the commission.
Responding, INEC said the NEC meeting cannot go ahead because the Notice was not signed by the embattled National Secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu.
In a letter dated June 13 and signed by INEC Acting Secretary, Mathru Aminu, the commission said the notice failed to comply with electoral regulations.
According to the commission, the notice failed to meet the joint-signature requirement stipulated in its 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, which requires the party’s National Chairman and Secretary to sign such notice.
In the letter, titled “RE: NOTICE OF 100TH NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (NEC) MEETING OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)”, the commission stated:
“The Commission draws your attention that the notice is not in compliance with the requirement of part 2(12)3 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022 that provides ‘the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party shall jointly sign the notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting and submit same to the Commission. Be guided.
“Please accept the Assurance of the Commission’s high regards.”
According to those watching the opposition party, the NEC meeting is expected to resolve among other things, the tussle over the National Secretary of the party.
The magazine reported that Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye are contesting for the position. While majority of the party’s leaders, including state governors prefer Ude-Okoye, a former National Youth Leader of the PDP, Anyanwu is backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and former Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike.
The Supreme Court had in a judgment delivered in March over the issue recognised Anyanwu, a former PDP governorship candidate in Imo state at the National Secretary of the party.
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