The re-elected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-South Zonal Vice Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, has described the ongoing crisis within the party as self-inflicted.
He noted that the party’s constitution had been disregarded in favour of personal interests by a few members.
Speaking at the South-South Zonal Congress of the PDP in Calabar on Saturday, Orbih urged party faithful to make the necessary sacrifices to revive and strengthen the party.
He called for the election of officers who would uphold the party’s constitution in the zone, emphasising that such individuals must also have the fear of God.
Orbih said: “We must follow the party’s guidelines if we are to revive it. These guidelines are subject to the constitution.
“The power to elect new officers of the party is not subject to anything but the constitution.
“We must start rebuilding the party from here. The party cannot dictate who an individual should associate with, nor determine their friends or enemies.”
Similarly, Minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, noted that, by all indications, the party remained strong in the zone.
He commended Orbih and his re-elected executive members for maintaining the party’s stability in spite of its challenges.
He, however, urged the party’s leadership to speak truth to power if it truly sought to regain its lost glory.
Wike added that the zonal congress held in Calabar would be the last to elect the Zonal Working Committee.
“Presently, we have leaders who can’t speak the truth and are full of betrayal.
“No part of the constitution says that congress should not be held when some persons are indisposed. No any other congress will hold after this.
“This is our job. This is our terrain. We are not new to this. The constitution didn’t say national working commitee shall conduct the zonal congress.
“This is the final congress in the South South. We don’t need quantity but quality,” he said.
In his address, former Governor of Cross River, Mr Donald Duke, urged PDP members in the zone to remain focused and fully committed to the party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Orbih and all the immediate past zonal officers, who were elected four years ago in Port Harcourt, were re-elected during the congress in Calabar.
They were all returned unopposed, but an election was conducted to reaffirm their positions.
The zonal executive consists of 10 members, in addition to six ex-officio members.
The congress was attended by former governors, former and serving members of the National Assembly, among others.
GWG.ng however, reports that the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said the outcome of the Calabar purported congress was null and void.
Ologunagba said that the party NWC’s attention was drawn to a reported social gathering in Calabar, Cross River where the organisers falsely claimed same to be the PDP South South zonal congress .
He recalled that the NWC at its meeting on Thursday, in exercise of its powers under Section 29 (2)(b), pursuant to Section 31 (2) (c) and (j) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) postponed the conduct of the South South zonal congress from the earlier scheduled date of Feb. 22.
Ologunagba said that the postponement was to allow for further consultation on critical issues relating to the smooth conduct of the congress in the Zone.
He had earlier been tackled by Orbih who claimed that the NWC of which he is a member never met to give directives on the zonal congress.