The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has postponed its National Executive Committee (NEC), which was originally set for Wednesday and Thursday, due to the party crisis sparked by the choice of its vice presidential running mate.

Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s National Secretary, issued a succinct statement on Monday in which it did not elaborate on the reasons why the highest decision-making body of the main opposition party had to postpone its quarterly meeting but only stated that it had been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.

This is to notify all PDP National Caucus and National Executive Committee members that the meetings of the two bodies, which were previously set for Wednesday, August 10, and Thursday, August 11, 2022, respectively, have been postponed.

It was stated that the postponement was due to unforeseen circumstances.

Though, it was learnt that the postponement is intended to allow the party ample time to try to settle the problem brought on by the vice-presidential candidate nomination, which has virtually divided it into North and South caucuses.

The party is concerned about suffering a boycott if the conference is held without first pleasing the concerns of some disgruntled members, research reveals.

Because the party had not yet addressed the governor’s complaints, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) who were supportive of Nyesom Wike of Rivers State skipped the board meeting last week.

In an effort to put the conflict between Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, and Wike behind them and establish the party’s 2023 presidential campaign committee, the NEC meeting that was postponed was supposed to assess the party’s current situation.

The gathering would have given it the opportunity to assess the state of the country and inform Nigerians of the harm it believes the All Progressive Congress (APC) has caused in the last seven years.

Similar to that, it was anticipated to address calls from some sectors for Dr. Ayu, the party’s national chairman, to step down so that the party’s national leadership may be realigned in accordance with the zoning principle set down in its constitution.

According to reports, the party is rushing to find a solution to the issue that resulted from the choice of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the vice presidential running mate notwithstanding Wike’s advice by the committee formed to assist Atiku in making this decision.

Since then, the Rivers governor and his group, which includes other PDP governors, have refused to collaborate with the former vice president because they insist that Wike first be appeased for the alleged humiliation he endured during the process.

However, the two sides agreed last week to form a committee with an equal number of people selected from each side to examine the differences between Atiku and Wike with the intention of offering suggestions.

The party is currently split into a North and a South caucus, with Wike reportedly leading the South, which thinks there is a deliberate attempt to impose a Northern Agenda on it. They point to the fact that the north now holds all of the major leadership posts in the party, including the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), national chairman, and presidential candidate, as justification for the opposition to changing the way the party is organized.

However, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP’s national publicity secretary, refuted this and characterized it as idle speculative.

In contrast to the All Progressives Congress (APC), he claimed, the PDP is a party that unites the nation and is determined to deliver it from the bad governance it has had over the previous seven years.

The PDP is debating how to best handle the rescue process, the party spokesman promised, adding that there might be some disagreements during that process, but that the PDP is convinced that they would be completely resolved.

He clarified that it was a convenience issue that led to the NEC meeting being postponed.

When a meeting is scheduled but it is not convenient for you to hold it at that time, won’t you postpone it? Ologunagba asked the Nigerian Tribune. Why is that problematic?

Ologunagba insisted: “It is relevant to the rationale given by the National Secretary when asked if the postponement is connected to Wike’s problem.