PDP crisis: Chair, Govs, INEC hold emergency talks

 

PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum

In a bid to resolve the threat hovering around the 99th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party scheduled for June 30, Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, governors elected on the party’s platform and other stakeholders will on Wednesday (today) meet with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

The once dominant political party has been a shadow of its former self since it lost power at the centre in the 2015 presidential election.

From a leadership crisis, unresolved litigations, and a gale of defections, including the recent losses of Governors Sheriff Oborevwori and Umo Eno of Delta and Akwa Ibom States, respectively, the PDP has struggled to maintain its position as the major opposition party in the country.

Challenges ranging from the Rivers State crisis, unresolved disputes over the South-South and South-East zonal congresses, the controversy surrounding the National Secretary position, and more recently, the North-Central zonal congress, which have further unsettled the party.

Tensions among party leaders have escalated and spread across several states and regions, further deepening the division.

The lingering crises have led to the postponement of the NEC meeting on six occasions, stalling key decisions about the party’s direction ahead of the 2027 general election.

The South-East Caucus of the party had picked Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s secretary to succeed Anyanwu following his emergence as the Imo State PDP governorship candidate in the November 2023 poll. However, Anyanwu, who did not quit his secretary duties at the PDP secretariat, returned from his electoral sojourn in Imo to lay claim to the seat.

Anyanwu is enjoying the support of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is currently having his way in the race for control of the party’s machinery ahead of the next election cycle.

In a bid to address the controversy surrounding the National Secretary position, the PDP National Caucus Fact-Finding Committee, chaired by Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, disclosed that INEC officially recognised Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.

The committee’s findings were presented to the PDP national caucus on May 27 in Abuja.

Following the discovery, members of the PDP National Caucus chose not to address the issue during the 99th NEC meeting held on May 27; instead, the meeting agreed to reconvene on June 30.

The party, following the ruling by the Supreme Court that the choice of who the National Secretary of a party should be is an internal affair of the party in question, elevated the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo as its Acting National Secretary.

With this resolution, Damagum wrote to INEC notifying it of the party’s decision to convene its 100th NEC meeting in Abuja on June 30.

The notification is in line with INEC regulations requiring a 21-day notice before any NEC meeting to decide on issues like the National Secretary and others.

The Damagun’s letter to INEC, titled ‘Notice of 100th National Executive Committee Meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party,’ read in part, “We write to formally inform and invite INEC that the leadership of our great party, PDP has scheduled our 100th NEC meeting to hold on Monday, June 30, 2025 at the National Secretariat of our party, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.

“This is for the commission’s information and necessary action, please. While thanking you for your usual cooperation, kindly acknowledge receipt of this letter and please accept the assurances of our highest regards.”