PDP crisis: Reconciliation panel to brief Damagum-led NWC today

The national reconciliation committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scheduled to meet the Umar Damagum-led national working committee (NWC) on Tuesday.

Damagum is acting chair of a crisis hit PDP.

The meeting will hold at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.

The reconciliation panel met on Monday to finalise its probe into the internal wrangling in the opposition party.

Speaking after the meeting, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, chairman of the committee and former governor of Osun state, said the NWC will be apprised about the panel’s findings and recommendations.

TheCable understands that the committee’s recommendations would be presented to the national executive council (NEC) for ratification.

The NEC is expected to meet on Thursday.

Oyinlola rebuffed questions on members recommended for suspension.

“As far as we are concerned, I will take that one as a rumour because we are meeting with the national working committee tomorrow. So, after tomorrow, you can ask me,” he said.

“Regarding our assignment as members of the national reconciliation committee, we are scheduled to meet the members of the national assembly so that we can share in their experiences as to what is causing the dwindling fortunes of our party politically.

“We have had useful discussions with them. I think there are suggestions that will help our party to unite and remain formidable. That’s what has happened this evening.

“One obvious thing required for any party to be able to go into a battle and win is that it must be united. That’s what we are going for.”

THE NEC MEETING

The NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the PDP, comprising state governors, serving and former presidents, former vice-presidents, chairman and secretary of the board of trustees (BoT), principal officers of the national assembly, all state chairmen, members of the NWC, former governors, and founding members, among others.

As is the tradition in the PDP, several organs in the party, including the PDP Governors’ Forum, national assembly caucus, BoT, and national caucus, will hold separate meetings ahead of the NEC meeting.

There have been calls for the PDP to convene a NEC meeting.

The party’s constitution mandates the NEC to meet quarterly.

The last time the party held a NEC meeting was in April.