The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened yesterday as the South-East caucus threatened to pull out of the party if its nominee, Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye, is not reinstated as National Secretary.
The party’s national secretariat staff and management also voiced concerns, lamenting that the PDP has suffered a year-long leadership crisis—particularly over the National Secretary position.
Enugu State Governor and South-East PDP leader, Dr. Peter Mbah, emphasized the need for the region to unite and speak with one voice. Supporting this stance were PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former Imo State Governor, Chief Achike Udenwa, who condemned the party’s continued neglect of the region.
Their frustration culminated in a communique issued after a meeting of the South-East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC), held at Government House, Enugu, and read by the Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa.
According to Odefa, the meeting was convened in line with a directive from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) during its 600th meeting in Abuja, to nominate a candidate who would complete the tenure of the National Secretary.
He stated: “The South East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the NWC directive and concluded that it presents a clear path to peace, unity, and progress in the party. Consequently, we unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye to complete the term of National Secretary.”
The caucus expressed regret over being forced to repeatedly nominate Udeh-Okoye since October 2023 and called on the NWC to immediately ratify his candidacy. They also urged that Arch. Setonji Koshoedo continue in acting capacity until the National Executive Committee (NEC) formalizes Udeh-Okoye’s appointment.
In a stern warning, the South-East PDP said it would review its membership in the party if further delays or opposition persisted, despite its historical loyalty and significant contributions to the PDP.
“The South-East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP since inception,” the communique read. “While the party has been losing key members after the 2023 general elections, the South-East is actively working to rebuild the PDP—successfully attracting opposition figures in Enugu, including the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, two House of Representatives members, and several House of Assembly members.”
The caucus insisted that the party must respect the region’s longstanding loyalty by confirming Udeh-Okoye without further delay or resistance.
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