PDP has not fixed date for South-East zonal Congress – Lawyer warns

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the Southeast Zonal Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. James Ugwu have been urged to shun any action that could amount to contempt of the court with regards to a purported zonal congress of the PDP in the Southeast.

In separate letters addressed to INEC and Mr. Ugwu, the counsel to Barr. Mike Nwankwo who had earlier obtained a court order barring the PDP from conducting the zonal congress in the Southeast zone, drew the attention of both INEC and Mr. Ugwu to a subsisting court Order emanating from suit no: FCT/HC/CV/325/2025 which forbids the conduct of the congress.

In the letters signed by Kalu Kalu Agu, the lead counsel, INEC was reminded that the electoral umpire had earlier entered appearance in the matter and subsequently indicated that it would obey the court order.

In compliance to the court order, INEC had withdrawn its staff from the botched Southeast zonal congress which was then scheduled for Saturday February 22, 2025.

The letter alerted INEC that in line with the PDP constitution, only the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had the powers to conduct Zonal congresses and since the botched February 22, 2025 congress, the party’s NWC had not fixed a new date for the congresses.

There have been rumours making the rounds on the social media that the enbattled National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the southeast, Mr. Ali Odefa through the Zonal Secretary, Mr. James Ugwu has been circulating WhatsApp messages indicating that the PDP had scheduled the Southeast zonal congress for February 26, 2025.

Mr. Kalu, while warning the PDP zonal secretary and INEC to steer clear of contempt of court, further enjoined the general public, especially members of the PDP in the Southeast to ignore any such message as the NWC of the PDP which is statutorily invested with the power to conduct the zonal congress has not fixed any date for the congress.