Nigeria's election commission asked the main opposition party to fix problems with its leadership structure during a private meeting Tuesday. Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman Mahmood Yakubu met with Peoples Democratic Party officials at their request. The party wanted help solving disputes about who serves as National Secretary. Acting PDP Chairman Iliya Umar Damagun brought several party leaders to the discussion. Election officials said similar meetings happened with other political parties facing leadership troubles.
The commission received mixed messages from PDP about their secretary position over several months. Different letters named Ude Okoye as the official secretary for the party. Other documents later claimed Samuel Anyanwu held the secretary job instead. Recent correspondence from PDP did not list any secretary at all. Yakubu said the confusion makes it hard for election officials to work with the party properly.
Commission rules require both chairman and secretary signatures on official party letters. The PDP sent a recent letter with only the chairman's signature missing the secretary's name completely. Damagun explained that court cases and Supreme Court decisions affected their leadership situation. The party's national executive committee made decisions about avoiding more disputes. Election officials want clear answers about who really serves as PDP secretary before moving forward with any official business.
The commission received mixed messages from PDP about their secretary position over several months. Different letters named Ude Okoye as the official secretary for the party. Other documents later claimed Samuel Anyanwu held the secretary job instead. Recent correspondence from PDP did not list any secretary at all. Yakubu said the confusion makes it hard for election officials to work with the party properly.
Commission rules require both chairman and secretary signatures on official party letters. The PDP sent a recent letter with only the chairman's signature missing the secretary's name completely. Damagun explained that court cases and Supreme Court decisions affected their leadership situation. The party's national executive committee made decisions about avoiding more disputes. Election officials want clear answers about who really serves as PDP secretary before moving forward with any official business.
