The National Labor Committee (NWC) of the Democratic Party of the Peoples (PDP) approved the composition of the South Zonal Caregivers Committee to administer the matters of the party in the area as of Monday, March 10, 2025.
The measure rules out the result of the recent Zonal Congress of South South held by the National Vice President (Sur-Sur), the chief Dan Orbih, which the party had described as a social meeting.
Despite the official postponement of the NWC of the South-South Zonal Congress for more consultations, Orbih came forward to organize a parallel event in Calabar, Cross River State.
However, the national PDP leadership rejected the meeting, labeling it as a “social event” without official recognition or legitimacy.
The establishment of the caregiver committee, which the party said, is in accordance with the provisions of the PDP Constitution (amended in 2017), saw the Bro appointment. Emma Ogidi as president of the caregiver committee.
Members include Hon. Nicholas Ayuwa, Barr. Godwin Akpan Uudanta, Mrs. Bekewei Ashanti, Idehen Ebomoyi and give me Vivian Ahanmisi.
The secretary is Chief Damiete Herbert-Miller.
According to a statement issued on Friday by HE. I must omologunagba, secretary of national advertising, the decision of the NWC is based on the need to avoid any emptiness and guarantee the soft functioning of Larty's affairs in the southern zone at the expiration of the mandate of the current zonal executive on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
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He explained that the Zonal Caregroad Committee of the South South is to supervise the activities of the party in the area for a period of three months or until a new zonal executive is elected in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the PDP.
The NWC ordered all the leaders of the party, the critical stakeholders and the members of the PDP in the southern zone so that this is guided by this and continue working together in the general interest of the party in the area.
Before Orbih led his Calabar Congress, the tensions had exploded within the NWC after the accusations that the interim national president of the party, ambassador Iliya Damagum, uninstalled unilaterally to Orbih in the leadership fold, despite his suspension in July 2024 for the alleged anti-fiesta activities.
Multiple sources within the NWC had expressed their outrage at the decision of Ladagum, which according to them was carried out without consultation and challenging an earlier resolution of the party.
Orbih was suspended on July 11, 2024, after accusations that he worked against the interests of the PDP in the Governor of the State of Edo September 21, 2024.
At that time, the NWC had summoned the alleged Alliance of Orbih with the former governor of the state of Rivers and current Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of undermining the candidate of the party, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
The PDP lost the elections, deepening the internal divisions.
In a statement signed by Oologunagba at that time, the party announced the suspension of Orbih and the establishment of a six -members committee led by the National Vice President (South), Ambassador Taofek Arapaja, to investigate the matter.
As part of his suspension, Orbih was forbidden to attend NWC meetings, stripped of his leadership privileges and retired from the official WhatsApp communication platform of the party.
However, NWC members were surprised to discover that Orbih had recently been reinstalled in the party leadership structure, without any official announcement or resolution of the established committee to investigate it.
The sources revealed that Damagum, which manages the NWC WhatsApp platform, secretly added to Orbih to the group, pointing out its silent return to the national PDP leadership.
According to the reports, this movement enraged several members of the NWC, who argued that Orbih was never formally authorized by the accusations against him and should not have been reinstated without an adequate review of the findings of the investigation panel.
Orbih's return to the leadership fold had not only angered the members of the NWC, but also exacerbated the crisis in the southern zone of the PDP.
In a strongly written press release after the alleged congress, Oologunagba reiterated that the NWC had not held the South-South Zonal Congress and urged the members of the party, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security agencies and the media to ignore the result of the Calabar meeting.
“To avoid doubts, the PDP establishes in clear terms that it has not carried out its South-South Zonal Congress, it is not involved in any way in that meeting in Calabar,” said Oologunagba.
The party cited specific sections of its modified constitution of 2017 to justify the postponement, particularly: section 29 (2) (b): which empowers the NWC to act on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in emergencies; Section 31 (2) (C) and (J): which grants the NEC supervision authority over all the organs of the parties, elections and the processes of selection of candidates.
With this legal support, the PDP dismissed the Congress of Calabar as illegitimate, accusing Orbih's faction of trying to undermine the leadership of the party.
The PDP South-South has been involved in leadership conflicts for months, promoted by the challenge of the party's directives, the rivalries between factions and the struggles for control.
In the center of agitation is the continuous power game of Orbih, which many believe is supported by Nyesom Wike, who has been in Loggerheads with conventional PDP leadership.
The Cross River state chapter of the PDP has also distanced itself from the Calabar Congress, insisting that all official zonal activities must be carried out at the recognized headquarters of the party in Port Harcourt, state of Rivers.
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