The Southeast Zonal Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has issued an ultimatum to the party’s national leadership, demanding the immediate ratification of their nominee for the National Secretary position, Sunday Ude-Okoye. They warned they would reconsider their membership if their demand is not met without further delay.

The ultimatum was announced following a zonal meeting in Enugu, convened after the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) directed the Southeast zone on April 29, 2025, to nominate a candidate for the vacant role.

“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves. This would bring to a close the needless lingering dispute over the matter.

“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the party stated on Wednesday.

Chief Ali Odefa, the PDP National Vice Chairman (Southeast), read the communiqué from the meeting, stating that the zone had unanimously reaffirmed Ude-Okoye as their nominee.

“The Southeast Zonal Executive Committee exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party. Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as a candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary,” he said.

The communiqué recalled the Supreme Court’s ruling on March 21, 2025, which stated that the leadership of a political party is an internal affair, outside the jurisdiction of courts and INEC. Following this, the PDP Governors’ Forum recommended on April 14, 2025, that the Southeast PDP nominate a candidate to complete the National Secretary’s tenure. The NWC subsequently directed the Southeast ZEC to nominate a candidate on April 29, 2025.

The Southeast ZEC emphasised that this nomination process has been repeated multiple times for their zone, unlike the filling of vacant national offices by other zones. They noted their previous nominations of Ude-Okoye in October 2023, February 20, 2024, and January 25, 2025.

The zone noted its historical loyalty and strength within the PDP, even as the party has experienced membership losses elsewhere. They pointed to recent gains in Enugu State, where the Labour Party governorship candidate and two House of Representatives members have rejoined the PDP, and the PDP’s representation in the Enugu State House of Assembly has increased.