Anyanwu: PDP Leaders Demarketing the Party

The embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samuel Anyanwu, speaks on the lingering crisis in the main opposition party, saying any attempt to remove him without due process is a wild goose chase. Chuks Okocha brings the excerpts:

Why is the PDP still in crisis over the office of National Secretary?

We’ve had a lot of negative press for some time now about our party, and it’s very disheartening, and I feel very concerned about it. For me, there’s only one group that can make or mar a situation in any organisation, and that’s the press. But so far, we’ve been able to manage, to balance issues that have to do with our party’s crisis. There’s no doubt our party is in crisis. I’m a realist. We’ve had crises, we’ve had issues, and it’s a man-made thing. It’s all about ambition, and it’s very disheartening.  I was elected in October 2021 as National Secretary of this party. According to the zoning, it was zoned to the South, and micro-zoned to the South-east. And just like every other State in the Southeast, it was zoned to Imo state. Every State in the South-east has a representative in the National Working Committee. For instance, the National Deputy Treasurer comes from Enugu State; the National Auditor from Anambra State; and the Deputy National Legal Adviser, Abia State. So you can see that it is wickedness for anybody that wants to take something from Ebonyi State and put it in Anambra State, when positions are evenly disputed. But assuming that I am no longer the National Secretary, for instance, whoever that will replace me must come from Imo State. Besides, National Secretary of a party is for the entire south. I was not elected by only south-east. I was elected at the convention by the entire nation. I represent the nation, but it’s very disheartening that the governor of Enugu State insisted that this must go to Enugu State, when Enugu already has somebody. 

What’s your view on the fact-finding report by the PDP Governors and the party’s national caucus? 

 (He brings out the report) This is a report of the committee set up by the Chairman, Governors Forum to interface with INEC to ascertain the status and position of the commission as regards the National Secretary.  The Committee chaired by Agbu Kefas with Peter Mbah and Dauda Lawal with the National Legal Adviser co-opted.  Peter Mbah met with INEC official and reported to the committee the position/status of the National Secretary thus:  That the commission still recognised Sen. Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party in consonance with the Supreme Court judgment; that there’s no vacancy to be replaced until Anyanwu is removed in accordance with the constitution of the party; that notice of 21 days should be given to the commission for any of such meeting to remove and or replace an official of the party, and that the NEC meeting should comply with the provision of the party’s constitution and requirements in the Electoral Act in the case of removal/appointment of an official of the party. 

The committee resolved to recommend to the forum that the procedure and the processes be followed to complete the acceptance of the recommendation of the South East caucus in order to lay to rest the agitation and put the Party back on track in South East. Also, that the party in NEC should acknowledge the request/ recommendation of the South-east caucus to be considered at the next meeting, amongst other things.  And by the way, is there any vacancy? There’s no vacancy. In 2023, I wrote to the party that I was going to run for an election and I took leave. I wrote to INEC that while I’m on that leave, my deputy will act, and so he did.

But why is the southeast zone bent on removing you?

Before then, the National Vice Chairman of the party Southeast, his tenure was elapsing and he wanted to remain a member of National Committee. He went and conjured, manipulating the governor of Enugu State, making him believe that he can have the National Secretary of the party. I’m sure that the governor himself is not aware that the offices are shared according to States. They jumped into it because he knows that the next National Vice Chairman of Southeast is supposed to come from Enugu State and he knows that he will not get it back. So, he wanted to return because his tenure ended on March 3rd or so. That’s how this whole issue started.  He now connived with his friend, who is Governor Makinde of Oyo State, to pressurise Enugu to bring Ude-Okoye in and they went to court.

So, I wonder how my office will endanger any of them because by December, my tenure will elapse. If of course, I choose not to come back. So why don’t you allow sleeping dog to sleep? 

Each time they talk about people destroying the party. All these PDP leaders who go on national television are the ones demarketing the party. Instead of saying issues that can build the party, you are saying things that will destroy and demarket the party and accuse the Minister of FCT, because he’s my friend. I will not take it. If anybody ridicules me, I will never tolerate it for any reason. Every position everybody is having now, in the next two years, a few of them will leave and all of us will meet at the lounge of the airport.  It took me time to build my reputation. I’ve been a two-time local government chairman; two times House of Assembly member, went to the Senate, ran for Governor twice and National Secretary. None of them ever said they supported me in my last election, all the governors contributed money to give to other candidates of the party, but they refused to send even a dime to me, rather, they demanded that I resign, and I ran my election without their support. 

 What is the position of Ali Odefa in all these crises?

So for me, I believe that I’m on the side of the law. I will give an example. Ali Odefa they are parading up and down is not a member of the party.  This is a judgement of  High Court. He was expelled by his ward, affirmed by his local government and of course the State. They went to court and got a  judgement. And this is part of the judgement. “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the first defendant, Honorable Dr. Ali Odefa from parading himself as a member of the People’s Democratic Party and or as the National Vice-Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party for the South East Zone of Nigeria and from performing the roles or exercising the powers of the position”.

It goes further to say, “This court ruling not only fortified the decisions of the party structures at his ward, Local government and State levels, but also permanently banned him from presiding at or even attending any PDP-related meetings. It is thus established that any meeting conveyed or attended by Honorable Ali Odefa remains invalid and infected by the virus of fundamental illegality”. This is the judgment of the High Court. So you will not go to the Southeast and say you are convening a meeting, who was there? I am the National Secretary of the party; I am from the Southeast. What meeting will you convene when I am not there? What justification do you have? Assuming today I am no longer the National Secretary, I am a member of the caucus, I am a member of the Board of Trustees, I am a member of NEC by my position. In politics, the Governor of any state is only the Governor of a State. My question is, what will Governor Makinde say that I did to him? Have I stressed him for any reason? Have I called him funny names? What’s my sin? What’s my problem with him? Have I done anything against him? What I’ve done against him? I consider him as my friend.Let me tell you, nobody can sign a document outside me. They came to find it themselves after doubting what I told them. I sent a message because I know that the Bukola Saraki committee is still meeting.

 What is your relationship with the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike 

The FCT Minister is my friend and my boss and I can never for any intimidation, deny him. Nobody can make me to deny my friend because after position, there’s still life. Even you as journalists, I don’t know where I’m going to meet you tomorrow. Your job may not be as a journalist. So I cannot under-rate any of you, because this journey is still very far and nobody knows how it will end. This is what I tell my NWC members. We came here as a united family. It would be nice for us to go as a united family so that we can still meet tomorrow and say we are brothers; we served in an organisation. Let nobody try to fragment the NWC. We’ve been here for three years plus. We just have four months to go. Let us do it and go in peace. We just have a few months to go. Why would anybody want to break his head? So for me, the position of the National Secretary is very clear. I’m the Secretary of the caucus. I’m the Secretary of NEC. Some people will say Senator Anyanwu is pro-Wike. What is pro-Wike? Everybody knows his role in this party. Everybody knows that when it mattered most, he was there for the party. He is working with the APC government, and they forget the way he was appointed, he wrote a letter to his party in the State. The party gave him a go-ahead. He wrote a letter to the then Governor, the governor of the State also gave him the go-ahead; he wrote to NWC, and he was appointed. I would not stop him from going to hold that position. 

What is your relationship with the PDP Governors? 

I respect our Governors because I know it’s not easy to be a Governor. But, that you’re a Governor does not mean that you cannot come out and tell your colleagues the truth.  They know the truth. Why are they shying away from it? They know the truth. 

Is the PDP part of the coalition?

No. The PDP is not part of the coalition. The PDP cannot merge with any party. The PDP is the first party and the only party that retrieved power from the military. And at every nook and cranny of this country, you must always find a PDP. So we cannot; rather, other parties will subsume themselves into the PDP.