Steve Oruruo
Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected the caretaker committee appointed by the National Working Committee, NWC, to oversee its affairs.
It could be recalled that at the Elective National Convention held in Ibandan, Oyo State Capital, a motion was moved for the dissolution of the Enugu PDP exco, alongside some other states.
In Enugu’s case, this was owing to the defection of Governor Peter Mbah to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Upon Mbah’s defection, alongside the party chairman, the Deputy Chairman of the party in the state, Barr Steve Oruruo, took over the mantle of leadership.
However, the NWC later announced a 15-man caretaker committee, chaired by Hon Vitus Okechi. The development has now thrown the party into crisis, with Oruruo insisting that he remains the chairman of the PDP in the state. He said the parallel leadership under whatever guise should be ignored.
According to him, the PDP Enugu State leadership remained intact and undisputed under the same leadership, chaired by him, and the members of the executive who were duly and validly elected during a State Congress of the party held on the 31st of October 2024.
He maintained that the purported dissolution of the Enugu State Executive Members of the party during a National Congress of the party held at Ibadan was a nullity.
Oruruo said the dissolution contravened the provisions of the Constitution of the party, particularly section 45 (2-4) and Section 47 (6) which expressly provides that the tenure of a State Chairman should be completed by the Vice Chairman and the State Secretary of the Party upon the resignation of the of the chairman which is the situation of the party in Enugu State.
He said, “It has become compelling and pertinent to address you particularly against the backdrop of increasing volume of discordant tunes within the leadership of the PDD both at the national and sub-national levels.
“The motion moved at Ibadan Convention to dissolve a duly elected State Executive Committee of the Enugu State Chapter of the PDP on perceived premise of the Enugu governor’s defection without deference to the express provisions of the party’s Constitution which authorized the state deputy chairman to automatically assume the office of the chairman upon his resignation or removal, was not only misguided and prejudiced but a cruel travesty of justice.
“I hereby implore the party faithful, our teeming supporters, and the general public to be expressly vigilant as this is only a glimpse of their mutating theatricals to come”.
Oruruo also said that the motion for dissolution of the State leadership was in disobedience to an order of court which reaffirmed himself as the state chairman of the Party alongside, the Secretary of the Party, Hon. Martins Onyeanwa Ugwuamadi-Eze, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the party after the resignation of the erstwhile chairman of the Party in the state, Dr. Martins Chukwunweike and the former state secretary.
According to him (Barr. Oruruo), the court order also restrained the National Executive Committee of the party from appointing any other person or persons to take over the offices of the chairman and the secretary of the Enugu State Chapter of the PDP.
He said: “A subsisting court order reaffirming yours sincerely and Hon. Martins Onyeanwa Ugwuamadi-Eze as the State Chairman and Secretary of PDP Enugu State Chapter, in strict compliance with the express provisions of section 45 (2-4) and Section 47 (6) of the the Constitution of the party after the resignation of Dr. Martins Chukwunweike and Hon. Chukwudi Nnadozie was duly served on the National Secretariat of the party via the immediate past National Chairman of the party, H. E. Ambassador Umar Damagun.
“The same order compelling the National Executive Committee of the party to immediately recognize my constitutional right and that of the secretary to serve out the term of the former chairman and the former secretary in line with the constitution of the party was duty served.
“This order went ahead to restrain the National Executive Committee of the party from appointing any other person or persons to take over the offices of the chairman and secretary of the Enugu State Chapter of the PDP.
“Therefore, it is salient to mention that whoever purportedly dissolved the Executive Committee of the Enugu PDP without deference to the express and clear provisions of the party’s Constitution and without taking cognizance to a subsisting order of court is a clear contravention of the law and in contempt of an order of court.”
He enjoined all party faithful and teeming supporters to remain steadfast and ignore all manner of distractions geared towards destabilising the party.
