The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has once again postponed its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for the fourth time since August 2024.

The party held its last NEC meeting in April 2024 and approved the conduct of congresses in about 26 states where the tenure of the executive committees had expired.

NEC, however, fixed August that same for leadership change, to fill the vacancy created in the National Working Committee (NWC) following the sack of the former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.

However, a meeting has not been held since then. But a statement issued by the National Secretary, Sunday Ude-Okoye, said the meeting will no longer be held on March 13.

Instead, May 15 has been fixed as the new date for the meeting.

He attributed emerging issues, including the need to conclude pending zonal, state, L.G.A. and ward congresses, as well as to allow for further consultation to ensure a hitch-free conduct of the meeting,g as reasons for the postponement.

Part of the emerging issues might be the court order stopping PDP from replacing  Umar Damagum as acting National Chairman pending the expiration of the tenure of the present NWC in December 2025, although the court action is yet to be vacated.

Meanwhile, the Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP), an interest group, said the appointment of the South-South zonal caretaker committee is a step taken in the right direction.

The PDP NWC had rejected the conduct of the zonal congress where Dan Orbih, an ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, emerged as zonal Vice Chairman.

The NWC instead appointed a caretaker committee headed by Emmanuel Ogidi to oversee the affairs of the zone pending the conduct of an acceptable zonal congress.

CP-PDP, in a statement on Sunday by Protem National Coordinator, Obinna Nwachukwu, supported the action of the NWC and said it would ensure the unity and stability of the party in the zone.

The conference stated that the NWC’s action is “provided under Section 29 (2)(b) and pursuant to Section 31 (2) (c) and (j) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), so as to ensure that there is no vacuum in that zonal chapter.”

CP-PDP, however, called on the NWC to accelerate action for a speedy conduct of the party’s pending zonal congresses to elect zonal executive committees in the South-South, North Central and Southwest zones.

It urged the Elder Emmanuel Ogidi-led caretaker committee not to be distracted but work with stakeholders in the South-South “to further ensure the unity, stability and growth of the party as well as the successful conduct of the coming zonal congress for the election of a new exco in the zone.”