Mass defections: PDP govs summon emergency meeting

PDP event

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are scheduled to meet in Abuja today amidst the gale of defections that has hit the party.

The governors’ rank decreased by one two weeks ago when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori led his predecessor, Dy.Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to switch allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governors met three weeks ago in Ibadan where they declared that the party would not join in the coalition talks being spearheaded by the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Oborevwori was absent at the Ibadan meeting.

Today’s meeting, which is due to take place at the Bauchi State Governors’ Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja is also coming amidst fears and uncertainties ahead of the long-awaited meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC) on May 27.Sources told The Nation yesterday that the PDP Governors’ meeting is expected to address the crisis in the party which has forced out the likes of Oborevwori, Okowa and others.

All three Senators of the party from Kebbi State are also on their way to the APC and observers say more are likely to jump the PDP ship soon.

Sources said legal intricacies surrounding the status of the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who has been cast aside by the governors in favour of Architect Setonji Koshoedo, continue to simmer as the party prepares for the NEC meeting

A highly-placed source said that if the NEC meeting is not postponed on the basis of legal matters, there is strong likelihood that the proposed national convention may not happen until well after August. Nation