Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, has called on members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly those in the Southeast caucus, to stop issuing threats and instead focus on resolving the party’s internal crisis in accordance with the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, Moro addressed the lingering leadership dispute within the party, especially the controversy surrounding Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who ran for governor while holding the position of PDP National Secretary.
“When Senator Anyanwu went to contest for governor, he expected to win by the constitution of the party because you cannot hold dual positions in the party and in government,” Moro said.
“If he had won and become the governor and assumed office as governor, definitely automatically you would expect that he had resigned from the position of national secretary.”
However, when Anyanwu lost, the Southeast caucus nominated a replacement, Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye, sparking a legal battle that ended in the Supreme Court.
The court, Moro explained, ruled that only the party, not the judiciary, has the authority to appoint its officials.
“The Supreme Court came with a verdict that all those processes, especially the court processes that threw up a replacement for Anyanwu, were set aside.
“And that it is the responsibility of the party to choose who their leaders are or who their officials are. That is the point that we are in here,” he explained.
Moro said the party had initially accepted Udeh-Okoye’s nomination pending ratification, but that process was halted by the judgment. He stressed that the PDP must respect the ruling.
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“At the moment, it is not the party that is responsible for whatever is happening to the nominee of the Southeast.
“It is the court, and as a law-abiding organisation, we should be prepared to accept the judgment of the court as it pertains to our organisation,” he said.
He criticised members issuing ultimatums to the party, saying such behaviour would only derail reconciliation efforts.
“The unfortunate thing here is the threat of reviewing their relationship with the party if their positions are not accepted in the first place,” he added.
To chart a path forward, Moro disclosed that the PDP has constituted a seven-man committee, led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki, to steer the party through upcoming events, including a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 27 and a national convention scheduled for August.
He also drew comparisons with the APC and Labour Party, noting that internal disputes and court battles are not unique to the PDP, but the party draws more public attention due to its position as the main opposition.
“The PDP presents a credible alternative as a major opposition, so people tend to maybe look more at the PDP and its crisis,” Moro said.
Despite the turbulence, the Senate Minority Leader expressed optimism.
“I see a bright future for the party if we demonstrate some courage, some political will to properly do the right thing. Then we are back on our winning ways,” he said.