The Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Chief Segun Sowunmi, has asked the leadership of the party to convene a National Executive Committee meeting or face the full wrath of the law.
This was contained in a pre-trial letter addressed to the Acting National Chairman of the Party through the National Secretary by Sowunmi’s solicitor.
He recalled that the party had its last NEC meeting in 2022 under the chairmanship of Iyiorcha Ayu.
Sowunmi, who was the former spokesperson of the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said it is enshrined in the party’s constitution that NEC meetings should be held at least once every quarter.
He noted that the party cannot continually disregard the democratic workings of a true political party and expect Nigerians to entrust them with running the affairs of the Nation
While saying that the Peoples Democratic Party, as a party that participated in the elections held on February 25 and March 18, 2024, as well as the off-circle elections held in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states in November 2023, ought to have presented a formal report to its National Executive Committee.
“The quarterly financial report on income and expenditure of the party has also not been presented in the past year to the members of the National Executive Committee, and there have been no quarterly reports containing the activities of the PDP to members of the Executive Committee,” Sowunmi posited.
He further explained that there are other pending issues, like the date of the National Convention, which the party ought to discuss, and that all efforts to let the leadership of the party come to terms on the need to call the NEC meeting landed on deaf ears.
” It is imperative to state at this point that convening a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party is a matter of utmost importance as it will help to galvanise and electroplate the proper functioning and decision-making process within the party.”.
He postulated that failure or refusal of the party to hold meetings of the National Executive Committee is a gross violation of the party constitution as encapsulated in Article 31 (2), (4), and (5) of the party’s constitution, which prescribed at least quarterly meetings for NEC members to address critical issues and making important decisions tailored towards oiling the wheels of democratic governance in the party.