The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Thursday approved the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Yemi Akinwonmi as the Acting National Chairman of the party in line with the party’s constitution.
The BoT Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin announced this decision after an emergency meeting of the Board, in Abuja.
His words: “Since our last meeting, there have been several meeting by stakeholders to ensure sanity returns to the party.
“The BoT approved Elder Yemi Akinwonmi as acting National Chairman.
“Was pleased with the resolution of leadership squabble in the NWC which signals return of unity to the party.
“The peaceful resolution of issues around the party will put PDP detractors to shame.”
Jibrin added that “Akinwonmi has been affirmed as acting Chairman in line with the Constitution of the party, that the BoT and the Caucus will meet tomorrow Friday, and NEC will hold on Saturday.”
Akinwonmi’s emergence has thus put to rest the leadership crisis which erupted on Tuesday with two contenders claiming acting chairmanship of the main opposition party a day after a Rivers State High Court suspended its embattled national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
The two contenders, Yemi Akinwonmi (Deputy National Chairman, South) and Suleiman Nazif (Deputy National Chairman, North), yesterday, engaged in hostilities, each claiming to be the rightful occupant of the office of acting chairman.
Akinwonmi had earlier in a statement declared himself as the national chairman and called off all planned party meetings, but after he learnt of the meeting presided over by Nazif, he appeared at the PDP national secretariat accompanied by a former House of Representatives member, Ladi Adeputu, and the National Secretary, Senator Umar Tsauri.
