The Peoples Democratic Party has again postponed its National Executive Committee meeting, rescheduling it for May 15, 2025.

In a statement obtained by ELANZANEWS Online on Sunday, the PDP’s National Secretary, Sunday Ude-Okoye, said the meeting, originally slated for March 13, was delayed due to pending zonal, state, local government, and ward congresses, as well as the need for further consultations.

This marks the fifth time the PDP has rescheduled its 99th NEC meeting, further deepening internal divisions within the party.

The crisis within the PDP has intensified since Umar Damagum assumed office as acting National Chairman following the court’s removal of Senator Iyorchia Ayu, with growing calls for his resignation.

During the 98th NEC meeting on April 18, 2024, party leaders failed to resolve several critical issues. As a result, the crisis has deepened, affecting state and zonal chapters and causing significant divisions within the National Working Committee.

The 98th NEC meeting had initially set August 15 for the 99th NEC meeting to address unresolved matters. However, the meeting was first postponed to October 24, 2024, then rescheduled for November 28, 2024, before being indefinitely delayed.

In response, the PDP Governors’ Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, directed the NWC in December 2024 to ensure the NEC meeting was held by February 2025 at the latest.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara, raised concerns that continued delays were eroding the trust and confidence of PDP members.

To ensure the meeting was held promptly, the PDP Governors’ Forum, during their meeting in Asaba, Delta State, on January 31, proposed March 13 for the NEC meeting.

However, in a new development, the party leadership announced that after consulting with all party organs, the 99th NEC meeting has, for the fifth time, been postponed to May 15.

The statement read, “Distinguished members of the National Executive Committee may recall that after due deliberation by party leaders, stakeholders, and relevant organs of the party, the NEC meeting was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2025.

“However, following emerging issues, including the need to conclude our pending zonal, state, local government, and ward congresses, as well as to allow for further consultations to ensure the smooth conduct of the meeting — especially concerning other proposed activities of our party — the NWC, after due consultation with leaders, stakeholders, and relevant organs of the party, including the Board of Trustees (BoT), the PDP Governors’ Forum, and the PDP National Assembly Caucus, hereby notifies distinguished NEC members that the 99th NEC meeting, earlier scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, 2025, has been unavoidably shifted to Thursday, May 15, 2025.

“All NEC members should please note the change of date and be guided accordingly.

“The NWC sincerely regrets any inconvenience this change of date may cause distinguished NEC members,” the statement said.

A former lawmaker and civil rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani, has said his main political interest in 2027 is to see Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna re-elected for a second term.

Sani, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to his former party, the All Progressives Congress, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.

“By virtue of the political equation in Kaduna State, if I happen to secure a ticket to return to the Senate in 2027, I will be glad. But if I do not, I will still be at peace knowing that we have ensured Uba’s re-election as governor.

“I am very pleased that Kaduna State has rid itself of the tormentor that plagued it politically. That was the reason many of us who left the APC for the PDP had to return en masse to the APC recently,” he said.

Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate, described power as “ephemeral,” advising those in authority to always treat people well.

“If God has blessed you with power, use it to positively impact the masses. But if you become intoxicated with power—abusing it, arresting people, and unleashing terror — a day will come when you will be out of power,” he said.

The former senator stated that Kaduna had never been so poorly governed as it was between 2015 and 2023, arguing that many things went wrong in the state.

He said, “There was a sharp division between the Muslim North and the Southern Christian population, which fuelled insecurity, terrorism, and other challenges that hindered development.

“In Birnin Gwari, farmers have started returning to their farms, where they once had to pay millions of naira in fines to terrorists before working on their land.

“Though the state has not achieved all its objectives, it has made significant progress from where it was.

“Since Uba Sani took over as governor, things have improved significantly. We rarely hear of mass abductions in Kaduna anymore.

“People now travel freely between Kaduna and Abuja, and we are grateful to Nuhu Ribadu as the National Security Adviser and President Bola Tinubu for their efforts.”

Assessing the security situation in the country, particularly in the North, Sani said it has improved compared to the era of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added, “I must say that Tinubu’s security measures are 1,000 times better than those of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The North’s main issue is that our own (Buhari) was in power for eight years and failed to accomplish key projects.

“The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, the dredging of the River Niger, the Baro River Port, and resolving insecurity in Northern Nigeria were left undone.

“Yet, Buhari appointed northerners to head all the security agencies in the country, and still, the slaughtering and killings of our people continued unabated.

“There are four major roads linking northern states to Abuja — Lokoja-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano-Abuja, Keffi-Abuja, and Minna-Suleja-Abuja. None of these roads were completed in Buhari’s eight-year tenure.”

Sani questioned why some northerners are now criticising Tinubu while remaining silent during Buhari’s administration.

“Many of the country’s current challenges could have been avoided if the right actions had been taken by the last administration,” he said.

The activist-turned-politician, however, urged the president to ensure his administration’s reforms are considerate of the people’s struggles.

“Nigerians are suffering; they are facing extreme hardship. There should be relief measures to ease their burdens.

“People are struggling to pay school fees, and landlords have increased rents. There should be government intervention in education and housing.

“A public transportation system should be provided, and our teaching hospitals must be equipped and funded so that citizens do not rely on poorly equipped health facilities,” he said.

Nevertheless, Sani stated that anything that could elevate Nigeria’s status should be pursued for the country’s future and national interest.

“This is the first time we have a president openly declaring that he is not controlled by any cabal. We should appreciate that and work with Tinubu,” he said.

NAN

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports that he had left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 elections renewed his support for a coalition of political parties to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

Recently, various reports suggested that Atiku was considering leaving the PDP in preparation for the 2027 presidential election.

He was finalising moves to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), according to the reports

Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday, Atiku’s media office said the former vice president remains a bonafide member of the PDP.

While describing the reports as a “fallacy”, the media office urged Nigerians to disregard them.

The media office said Abubakar has persistently called for a coalition of opposition political parties in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The media office stressed that the coalition would accommodate all opposition parties, including the PDP.

“We have observed that some news platforms are peddling unverified information that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party,” the statement reads.

“We wish to clarify that the so-called news of Atiku defecting to another party is a total fallacy that holds no merit in logic.

“Hence, it is fallacious and unfounded to allege that the Waziri is jumping the PDP ship. Such an allegation is antithetical to the objective of the grand coalition, which the former Vice President is currently driving alongside other prominent political leaders in the country.

“We, therefore, wish to state unequivocally that Atiku remains a principal bonafide member of the PDP, the main opposition party.

“The defection claims are an attempt to confuse Nigerians about the magnitude of the grand coalition that is at work to rescue Nigeria from the grip of the APC”.