Threats won’t fix PDP crisis; respect court ruling – Abba Moro tells S’East caucus

Threats won’t fix PDP crisis; respect court ruling – Abba Moro tells S’East caucus

By Luminous Jannamike, ABUJA

The Senate Minority Leader and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Abba Moro, has urged party members, particularly those of the Southeast caucus, to avoid threats and focus on resolving the party’s internal crisis in line with a recent Supreme Court judgment.

He made the call during his appearance as a guest on Arise TV’s political programme, Prime Time, where he addressed the PDP’s leadership challenges and the implications of the court’s ruling.

The Senate Minority Leader explained that the crisis stems from the dual-position controversy involving Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who contested for governor while serving as the PDP’s National Secretary.

He stated that if Anyanwu had won, he would have automatically resigned from his party position. However, the Southeast caucus nominated a replacement, leading to legal battles.

Moro noted that the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the party, not the courts, has the authority to choose its officials, nullifying the processes that had produced Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as a replacement.

He said, “When Senator Anyanwu went to contest for governor, he expected to win by the constitution of the party because you cannot hold dual positions in the party and in government.

“If he had won and become the governor and assumed office as governor, definitely automatically you would expect that he had resigned from the position of national secretary.”

He emphasised that the PDP, as a law-abiding organisation, must comply with the court’s judgment. The PDP chieftain revealed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had accepted the Southeast’s nominee, Udeh-Okoye, pending ratification, but the Supreme Court’s intervention disrupted this process. He added that the party is now working to navigate the requirements of the ruling.

“The Supreme Court came with a verdict that all those processes, especially the court processes that threw up a replacement for Anyanwu, were set aside.

“And that it is the responsibility of the party to choose who their leaders are or who their officials are. That is the point that we are in here,” he explained.

To address the crisis, Moro stated that the PDP has established a seven-man committee chaired by former Senate President Bukola Saraki. He explained that the committee is tasked with ensuring the smooth conduct of upcoming party activities, including the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on the 27th of the month and a national convention in August, where new party officials will be elected.

The Senate Minority Leader expressed concern over threats from some members to review their relationship with the party if their positions are not accepted. He urged party leaders to demonstrate courage and political will to resolve the crisis, stressing that threats are counterproductive.

Moro said, “The unfortunate thing here is the threat of reviewing their relationship with the party if their positions are not accepted in the first place.

“At the moment, it is not the party that is responsible for whatever is happening to the nominee of the Southeast. It is the court, and as a law-abiding organisation, we should be prepared to accept the judgment of the court as it pertains to our organisation.”

While acknowledging the PDP’s challenges, Moro noted that internal conflicts and litigations are not unique to the party. He pointed out that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party are also embroiled in similar crises.

However, he stated that the PDP’s situation receives more attention because it is the major opposition party and presents a credible alternative to the ruling party.

“The PDP presents a credible alternative as a major opposition, so people tend to maybe look more at the PDP and its crisis,” Moro said.

Despite the ongoing crisis, the PDP chieftain expressed optimism about the party’s future. He stated that the PDP can return to its winning ways if it resolves its internal issues properly and demonstrates unity.

“I see a bright future for the party if we demonstrate some courage, some political will to properly do the right thing. Then we are back on our winning ways,” Moro said.