The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to reposition its South West chapter towards the 2023 general election.
Naija News reports that the South West PDP has been embroiled in crisis, leading to the delay in holding the zonal congress to elect zonal leaders of the party.
However, the PDP had scheduled the congress for this weekend and has informed INEC about the congress.
PDP, however, in a statement on Wednesday by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party has scaled up processes for reconciliation as it affects the South West Zonal Congress of the party.
The party said it has summoned Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde and former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, “for urgent resolution of all issues concerning the South West.”
The meeting, according to the statement, will be attended by the National Chairman, the Deputy National Chairman, the National Secretary, and Senator Bukola Saraki-led Reconciliation and Strategic Committee.
The statement expressed the belief that “beyond the legal conundrum in our party’s formation in the zone, the PDP must win the South West.”
It added that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) “will meet on the outcome of this reconciliation meeting within the next 24 hours.”
Meanwhile, a member of the National Assembly, Senator Stephen Odey, has disclosed that the Supreme Court did not sack him as the senator representing Cross River North in the Senate.
In an open letter to the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, a legal luminary, Omang Omang, had urged the Senate president to stop the current occupant of the Cross River North senatorial seat, Dr. Stephen Odey, from attending plenary on the grounds that the apex court has ruled that Hon Jarigbe Agom is the authentic winner of the seat.
Speaking on Wednesday while playing host to some of his constituents, Odey cleared the air on the apex court ruling, saying the Supreme Court’s ruling never and did not invalidate his seat as a senator.
He said the only court case that dealt with the issue of candidate of the PDP was the one that ruled in his favour at both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, both in Calabar.
The senator averred that Agom was only playing to the gallery as all the issues have been resolved.
He said: “The Supreme Court’s ruling never and did not invalidate my position. I am still the authentic and only senator representing the good people of Cross River North.
“The Senate president won’t be coerced into embarking on illegality just because somebody somewhere wants his greed to be obeyed. The issue of who was the PDP authentic candidate and winner of the election has been determined by relevant courts and institutions as well as the party which conducted the primaries.
“That was why the case went to the Supreme Court, and the court ruled that there was an error in service. I only approached the court to show cause that the two people contesting my position were illegally laying claims to it and that the person sitting on that seat was alive and well.”
“So, the Supreme Court’s ruling never and did not invalidate my position; I am still the authentic and only senator representing the good people of Cross River North.”