He added that the National Executive Committee, NEC, requires seven days’ notice to convene. With the Board of Trustees already lapsed, he said the PDP currently has no stabilising structure capable of managing a transition unless urgent action is taken.
“The People’s Democratic Party is risking creating a political mess for the country occasioned purely by their recidivist tendencies over the years,” he said.
He stressed that the most urgent step is for the National Chairman to issue a notice for a NEC meeting within 24 hours.
If the Chairman refuses, he said the PDP constitution empowers two-thirds of NEC members to sign a written request compelling him to convene the meeting. Should the Chairman still decline, he said NEC members could meet under the principle of necessity, document his refusal and carry out essential transition decisions.
Showunmi also urged the party to send preliminary notification to INEC indicating its intention to conduct leadership transition activities, even if the final date will be ratified by NEC.
He argued that such preliminary notice is critical to avoiding a technical breach of the 21-day INEC requirement, which could invalidate any leadership outcome.
He called on PDP governors, senior leaders and NEC elders to embark on emergency consultations to prevent boycotts, rival gatherings or quorum issues that could invalidate NEC decisions at this sensitive time.
In his plan, the upcoming NEC meeting would be expected to adopt a uniform transition timetable, resolve the leadership question by either briefly extending the NWC’s tenure, appointing a caretaker committee, or allowing the NWC to function strictly for administrative purposes until convention, and reconstitute the Board of Trustees to restore internal oversight.
He said NEC must also authorise communications to INEC confirming compliance with all procedural requirements.
Showunmi further emphasised the need for the National Legal Adviser to prepare justification memos, compliance reports and evidence of notices, attendance and votes to withstand any court challenge.
He advised the National Publicity Secretary to publish a communication strategy that reassures members, counters misinformation and outlines the transition timetable across state chapters.
“Here is a plan if arrogance will not replace clear thinking,” he cautioned.
He said that within 30 days, the PDP must secure a legally recognised interim or extended NWC, a transition calendar accepted by INEC, a reconstituted BoT and a fixed convention date, while projecting a unified, constitutionally compliant public posture.
Failure to do so, he warned, could plunge the party into a legal blackout in which it lacks recognised leadership, cannot validly convene meetings and becomes vulnerable to injunctions capable of immobilising it entirely.
Leave a Comment