The embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samuel Anyanwu, speaks on the lingering crisis in the main opposition party, saying any attempt to remove him without due process is a wild goose chase. Chuks Okocha brings the excerpts:
Why is the PDP still in crisis over the office of National Secretary?
We’ve had a lot of negative press for some time now about our party, and it’s very disheartening, and I feel very concerned about it. For me, there’s only one group that can make or mar a situation in any organisation, and that’s the press. But so far, we’ve been able to manage, to balance issues that have to do with our party’s crisis. There’s no doubt our party is in crisis. I’m a realist. We’ve had crises, we’ve had issues, and it’s a man-made thing. It’s all about ambition, and it’s very disheartening. I was elected in October 2021 as National Secretary of this party. According to the zoning, it was zoned to the South, and micro-zoned to the South-east. And just like every other State in the Southeast, it was zoned to Imo state. Every State in the South-east has a representative in the National Working Committee. For instance, the National Deputy Treasurer comes from Enugu State; the National Auditor from Anambra State; and the Deputy National Legal Adviser, Abia State. So you can see that it is wickedness for anybody that wants to take something from Ebonyi State and put it in Anambra State, when positions are evenly disputed. But assuming that I am no longer the National Secretary, for instance, whoever that will replace me must come from Imo State. Besides, National Secretary of a party is for the entire south. I was not elected by only south-east. I was elected at the convention by the entire nation. I represent the nation, but it’s very disheartening that the governor of Enugu State insisted that this must go to Enugu State, when Enugu already has somebody.