PDP Crisis: I’m being persecuted because of my closeness to Wike – Anyanwu

Embattled National Secretary of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, says he has been traumatised by the crisis over the National Secretaryship of the party, but he will not give up his position.

The National Secretary position of the PDP has been a bone of contention since Anyanwu took leave to contest the last governorship election in Imo State, which he lost to Governor Hope Uzodimma.

But addressing members of the PDP Press Corps in Abuja on Wednesday, Anyanwu said he was being persecuted because of his friendship with the Federal Capital Territory, Minister Nyesom Wike.

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He also accused Governors Peter Mbah of of Enugu and Seyi Makinde of Oyo of being behind his ordeal.

Anyanwu said, “There’s no doubt our party is in crisis. I’m a realist. We’ve had crisis, we’ve had issues, and it’s a man-made thing. It’s all about ambition, and it’s very disheartening.

” I was elected in October 2021 as National Secretary of this party. According to the zoning, it was zoned to the South, and micro zoned to South East. And just like every other state in the Southeast, it was zoned to Imo state.

“But assuming that I am no longer the National Secretary, for instance, whoever that will replace me must come from Imo State. Besides, National Secretary of a party is for the entire south. I was not elected by only South East. I was elected at the convention by the entire nation. There’s no vacancy. In 2023, I wrote to the party that I was going to run election and I took leave. I wrote to INEC that while on that leave, my deputy would act and so he did.

Anyanwu said his tenure like other NWC members will elapse in December, “So, I wonder how my office will endanger any of them because by December, my tenure will elapse, if of course I choose not to come back. So why don’t you allow sleeping dogs lie? I will not take it , if anybody ridicule me. I will never tolerate it for any reason.

“This crisis is man-made; they went to the extent of sponsoring staff of a party to choose whom they want. That is very, very low. It’s a very low thing to do. But I will not give in to anybody trying to mess me up or mess my career up. None of them ever said they supported me in my last election, all the governors contributed money to give to other candidates of the party but they refused to send even a dime to me, rather they demanded for me to resign and I ran my election without their support.

“So for me, I believe that I’m on the side of law. Now I give for example. Ali Odefa they are parading up and down is not a member of the party. This is a judgement of High Court. He was expelled by his ward, affirmed by his local government and then of course the state.” He said.

Speaking on the Tuesday NEC and his position in the party Anyanwu said, ” Let me tell you, nobody can sign a document outside me. They came to find it themselves after doubting what I told them. I sent a message because I know that committee of Senator Bukola Saraki is still meeting and they were supposed to round off.

“I now sent out a letter signed by me that the NEC is postponed pending when they finalize. So what they had there was not NEC, it was a stakeholders meeting, because NEC had not signed for it. If it is a NEC meeting, any decision taken there is an illegality because PDP is a party, an organization, ruled by law and we should respect our constitution. And they make it look as if I’m one person causing problems with PDP.

“My position will end by December. Election is 2027. Primaries is 2026. I will not be there. So what would my position now do? The FCT Minister is my friend and I can never for any intimidation, deny him. Nobody can make me to deny my friend because after position, there’s still life.

“Some people will say Senator Anyanwu, he is pro-Wike. What is pro-Wike? Everybody knows his role in this party. Everybody knows when it mattered most, he was there for the party. He is working with the APC government and they forget the way he was appointed. He wrote a letter to his party in the state.

“The party at the state gave him a go ahead. He wrote a letter to the then governor, The governor of the state who also gave him that go ahead. He wrote to NWC and he was appointed.”