PDP Governorship Aspirant Segun Sowunmi Takes Legal Action Against Party Leadership Over NEC Meeting Delay

Segun Sowunmi, a prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ogun State during the 2023 general elections, has filed a lawsuit against the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for its failure to convene a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

The legal action, initiated at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, addresses the NWC’s failure to hold a NEC meeting since the last elections. The suspended National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, had convened the 97th NEC meeting on September 8, 2022.

Sowunmi, represented by a legal team led by Anderson Asemota, asserted in the legal document that the party’s leadership, particularly the acting national chairman Iliya Damagum, has neglected its duty to members by refusing to conduct mandatory quarterly meetings.

The lawsuit emphasizes the significance of the NEC meeting as a platform for party officials to present quarterly financial reports, stressing that such reports have been absent since the 2023 elections. Sowunmi contends that his appeals to prompt the party officers to convene a NEC meeting have gone unanswered, despite upcoming elections in Ondo and Edo states requiring thorough preparation.

The legal demand includes a court order compelling the party officials to convene the NEC meeting and a restraining order preventing further delays by the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Sowunmi, known as one of Atiku Abubakar’s spokespersons in the 2019 election, argues that the failure to hold the NEC meeting violates the party’s constitution. He insists on the meeting’s importance in setting a date for the party’s convention, the highest decision-making body, and expresses concern over the postponement of discussions on critical issues pending a NEC meeting.