Resolve ambiguity surrounding national secretary position, INEC chair tells PDP

Prof. Yakubu

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve the ambiguity surrounding its national secretary position.

Yakubu made this appeal during a private meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) and party stakeholders in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the INEC Chairman, the main opposition party had sought to engage with the Commission to address its leadership crisis.

Earlier in the meeting with INEC, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Iliya Umar Damagun, stated that the purpose of the discussion was to address the status of the party’s national secretary, particularly in relation to the letter sent to the party by INEC regarding the request for the Commission to oversee the 100th NEC meeting.

Yakubu noted that the letter was signed solely by the party chairman, rather than by both the chairman and the secretary, as stipulated in INEC regulations and guidelines.

“So there are issues to discuss and we look forward to this important clarification from the party as to who is the secretary. In the last couple of months we received letters from the party saying that one Mr Ude Okoye was the Secretary,” the INEC chairman said.

“Thereafter, the party changed its mind and said it was Anyanwu. Thereafter, the party changed its mind to say that it’s Mr Okoye and again the party changed its mind to say it’s Arch. Setonji Koshoedo. And the last letter from the party actually has no secretary at all.”
The INEC chairman concluded by emphasising the importance of resolving the issue.

“We are here as the registrar and regulators of political parties and we hope when we go into the working session we will fully understand where you are coming from and what more you expect from us.”

Responding, Damagun said, “Normally when we have issues, the party always come to interact with INEC, but today you have given us the opportunity with our leaders from various organs of the party to be here.

“We have here today, as you are aware, we have issues pertaining to the status of our national secretary.

“We have gone into litigation, I think, from the beginning of last year until when the Supreme Court, you know, made a pronouncement of which INEC was a party. We are here today to discuss and interact with you sincerely because we had NEC and there was a decision of NEC which mandated me to sign a letter to avoid controversy. And I received your reply on that letter.”

A closed-door session between the two bodies followed after the brief media interaction.