Fresh details have emerged from the meeting between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the party’s warring factions continue efforts to resolve their internal crisis.
Gossip News Now reports that the rival factions led by Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Kabiru Turaki met with INEC officials at the commission’s national headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, said the meeting was convened to explore possible solutions to the lingering crisis within the opposition party.
Both factions addressed journalists after the meeting, shedding light on the discussions held with the electoral umpire.
Speaking on behalf of his faction, Anyanwu commended the INEC chairman for initiating the meeting, describing him as a leader endowed with wisdom. He said the manner in which the parties were addressed showed INEC’s desire for the PDP to remain a strong opposition force in Nigeria.
“INEC is looking at the issues and the options on how to restore peace in our party. We are yet to receive a decision from the NEC on the matter, but both sides were given the opportunity to speak,” Anyanwu said.
He added that the discussions helped identify key areas fuelling the crisis, including grievances, aggression and personal egos, stressing that the PDP remains committed to the rule of law, electoral guidelines and NEC directives.
“Nigerians know that the PDP has mechanisms for managing internal crises, and that is what we are doing. I can assure you that we will emerge stronger,” he added.
Also speaking, Kabiru Turaki, who emerged as National Chairman from the Oyo convention faction, said his group was invited by INEC on Thursday night to attend the meeting.
According to him, the faction initially believed the invitation was in response to an earlier request, but later discovered that some former party members who had been expelled were also invited.
Turaki explained that INEC informed them that the meeting was aimed at finding lasting solutions to the party’s internal challenges. He said his faction presented its perspective on the issues, which INEC listened to attentively.
He noted that while some of the matters are currently before the Court of Appeal, and INEC cannot assume the role of a court, the commission assured them that their submissions would be carefully considered.
Commenting on concerns about INEC’s recognition of factions, Turaki likened the process to elders mediating a land dispute, noting that all parties must be heard to ensure fairness and reconciliation.
“In the spirit of reconciliation, it was proper for everyone involved to be invited. If only one side was invited, it would amount to talking to ourselves. I see no problem with the approach taken by INEC,” he said.
