Samuel Anyanwu, Peoples Democratic Party PDP National Secretary, on Wednesday regretted the ongoing crises within the country’s main opposition party, describing it as “man-made and unnecessary”.
Anyanwu, while speaking at an interactive session with Journalists in Abuja, on Wednesday, also regretted that the crisis had exposed the party to a lot of negative publicity, adding that “it’s very disheartening, and I feel very concerned about it”.
“So far, we’ve been able to manage to balance issues that has to do with our party’s crisis. There’s no doubt our party is in crisis. I’m a realist. We’ve had crisis, we’ve had issues, and it’s a man-made thing. It’s all about ambition, and it’s very disheartening,” he said.
Anyanwu who insisted that there is no vacancy in the office of the party’s National Secretary, recalled how the current crisis started in 2023.
“ There’s no vacancy. In 2023, I wrote to the party that I’m going to run election and I took leave. I wrote to INEC that while I’m on that leave, my deputy will act and so he did,” Anyanwu said.
“Before then, the then National Vice Chairman of the party Southeast, his tenure was elapsing and he wanted to remain as member of National Committee. He went and conjured, manipulated the governor of Enugu State, making him to 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 the states”.
Read also: Tinubu’s govt has failed Nigerians – Atiku
He accused Ali Odefa, the party’s National Vice Chairman, of jumping to make a mischievous gain out of the situation because he knew that the next National Vice Chairman of Southeast is supposed to come from Enugu State, since he knew that he was not going to 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 pressurize Enugu to bring Ude-Okoye in and they went to court,” he said.
“During the flag off of my campaign, Enugu governor came and asked me to resign and I told him, I will not and he was so angry. How can I resign on the day of my flag off? For what? He became angry and said that I am going to resign. So it’s about ego. So I should trade my position because of somebody’s ego.
“ 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 sleep?
“Each time they talk about people destroying the party. All these PDP leaders who go on national television, they 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”.
Anyanwu insists that he will continue to fight back, adding that “I will not take it , if anybody ridicule 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.
“So, it’s a man-made thing up to the extent of sponsoring staff of a party to choose whom they want. That is very, very low. It’s a very low thing to do. But I will not give in to anybody trying to mess me up or mess my career up.
“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 demand for me to resign and I ran my election without their support.
“So for me, I believe that I’m on the side of law. Now I give for 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 then of course the state”.
