The National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Bature, says the decisions made by the group of ‘Concerned Stakeholders’ led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, are not at odds with the PDP’s direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Bature explained that the resolutions from the stakeholders’ meeting held a day earlier are mostly in line with the party’s constitution and internal consensus.
The group, which includes the influential G5 governors and other senior figures, announced the zoning of the 2027 presidential ticket to the South and reaffirmed Senator Sam Anyanwu as the PDP’s National Secretary.
“The secretaryship position is clear. I know that some people are being deliberately mischievous. It’s a very clear position of the law, and the party stands at risk if we do not abide by that law,” Bature stated during the exclusive conversation.
The meeting, which operated under the name “Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP,” focused heavily on the party’s internal struggles and strategies for survival, especially with the 2027 elections in view. Bature notes that the outcome of the gathering did not contradict PDP’s standing beliefs.
“We don’t even know what happened at the meeting. So, how are we to give a reaction? What they said in the communique, is it different from what the party believes in? I don’t think,” he said when asked about the National Working Committee’s (NWC) stance on the meeting.
The stakeholders at the session warned that internal greed and inflated egos were the biggest threats to party unity. Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom also pointed out that the G5 group had acted in the country’s interest by standing against the party’s 2023 presidential decisions.
Although some in the party have raised concerns over how the recent NEC meeting was conducted, Bature downplayed any legal implications. “No decision taken during that NEC meeting was binding on the party. Had it been a binding decision was taken, there would have been cause for alarm, but no such decision was taken,” he explained.
