Today, June 30, 2025, marks another decider for the long-sought reconciliation, peace, cohesion and stability in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which’s fractured since the lead-up to the 2023 General Election that the party lost to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Scheduled for the party headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, this Monday, is the PDP 100th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) – fixed in its 99th meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 – which the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, solely conveyed – without the co-signature of the National Secretary – to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The question is, will the meeting hold, as the INEC – pointing out an obvious lacuna of non-compliance with the Constitution of the PDP in the letter of notification – has declined attendance to observe the proceedings, as technically, “there is no notice of the NEC before the Commission”?
To prevent confusion going forward, Damagum and the NWC reportedly consulted widely among PDP’s stakeholders, and a decision was taken to “seek INEC’s clarifications on the status of issues in the PDP, especially that of National Secretary, and the response letter from INEC.”
Setting the record straight at a press conference on June 25, Damagum said that at the instance of the leadership of the PDP, he led a delegation of chieftains to hold a crucial meeting with the INEC leadership, headed by its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on June 24.
Listed among the delegation were: Bauchi State Governor and Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF), Sen. Bala Mohammed; Governor Seyi Makinde (Oyo State); Governor Dauda Lawal (Zamfara State); Governor Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau State); and Sen. Abba Moro/Senate Minority Leader.
Others are: former Kwara Governor and ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki; former Kaduna Governor and BoT Secretary, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi; National Organising Secretary, Hon. Capt. Umar Bature; ex-Bayelsa Governor, Sen. Seriake Dickson; and former National Secretary, High Chief Ben Ndi.
Based on the outcomes of the meeting with the leadership of the INEC, and discussions with PDP’s stakeholders, which reportedly lasted into the early hours of June 25, the leadership of the PDP briefed the press same day, with many stalwarts in attendance. They include:
Sen. Bala Moh’d; Sen. Makarfi; Sen. Saraki; Sen. Dickson; Sen. Moro; Rt. Hon Kingsley Chinda (House of Reps Minority Leader); Hon. Bature; Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN (National Legal Adviser); Hon. Yayari Ahmed (National Treasurer); Prince Kadede Suleiman (National Youth Leader); Sen. Mohammed Gwarzo (National Vice Chairman, NW); Hon. Abdulrahaman Mohammed (National Vice Chairman, NC); and Hon. Timothy Osadalor (Deputy National Youth Leader).
Damagum’s Bombshell
Damagum said the press briefing was to highlight the INEC advice to the PDP, “to apply caution on the issues in contention, to avoid unnecessary confusion later, especially, with the coming FCT election,” adding, “We don’t want to be recalcitrant because INEC has informed us of its position on the Office of National Secretary.
Damagum’s words: “Gentlemen of the press. Yesterday, we met with some of our Governors, the Governors’ Forum, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the PDP caucus of the National Assembly.
“Today, I convened a critical meeting of the PDP NWC, even though it was at short notice, and some of the members are not here. We had an extensive meeting, and critical issues were discussed. We know where our problem is.
“INEC is our regulator, and they have told us their position as it is, as it affects the issue surrounding the National Secretary; we are all aware that the National Secretary is a signatory of this party; it is a critical position that he holds.
“As such, we have decided to abide by the advice they (INEC) gave us, especially as we have a very important election before us, that is the FCT local government election and we are running out of time, so we have no option but to abide by the decision.”
Claiming that all the PDP organs’ leaderships were on the same page with the current position of the party leadership, Damagum dropped the bombshell: “After due consultation, it’s a bitter pill, it is a difficult situation, but the survival of the party is more than all of us, more than everything that you feel that you know and yearn for. I want to use this opportunity to tell you that we will do the right thing and it is the decision of most members of this party led by the organs of the party.
“In conclusion, the outcomes of all the meetings held yesterday to the early hours of this morning declare that Senator Samuel Anyanwu remains the National Secretary and he is hereby directed to resume office immediately.
“INEC told us that they do not have any notice of a NEC meeting from us because I (Damagum) was the only person that signed, and we had not followed the guidelines.
“So, a new date for the 100th NEC Meeting will be fixed at the Expanded National Caucus Meeting on the 30th of June, 2025, so that we will discuss extensively the way forward to NEC as well as all critical issues brought before us and leading to our national convention, and due notice will be issued with the two authorised signatures of the party, the National Chairman and National Secretary.”
Despite Damagum’s claim of wide consultations with PDP’s stakeholders – some of whom accompanied him to the parley with the INEC leadership, and also attended the press briefing on June 25 – his action set off an alarm, and a push-back, indicating deep-seated division and mistrust in the party.
PDP’s BoT Scandalised
Reactions came fast and furious from alleged 11 of 19-man NWC of the PDP, the National Ex-Officio Members’ Forum, and the Chairman of the BoT and former Senate President Adolphus Wabara – all blasting Damagum for reinstating Anyanwu as national secretary, and shifting the 100th NEC meeting. Let’s go with the BoT response in a strongly-worded statement, via Wabara, as follows:
“The attention of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to an unconstitutional pronouncement by the Acting National Chairman of our great party, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, purporting to cancel the 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, 30th June, 2025 and directing Senator Samuel Anyanwu to resume as National Secretary of the party.
“The BoT, in defence of the Constitution of the PDP, states categorically that these pronouncements by the Acting National Chairman are null, void and of no effect, being inconsistent and in gross violation of the express provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Executive Committee (NEC) is the highest decision-making organ of the party, second only to the National Convention; by Section 31(3) of the PDP Constitution, the resolution of the NEC at its 99th meeting held on Tuesday, 27th May, 2025 to hold its 100th meeting on Monday, 30th June, 2025 is binding on all organs and members of the PDP.”
“To this effect, being an NEC decision, no organ, group or individual has the power or competence to cancel, adjust or postpone the 100th NEC meeting already scheduled. It is, therefore, not within the remit or authority of the Acting National Chairman to override a collective decision of the NEC. Such conduct amounts to an affront to the constitutional authority of NEC and the collective will of our party.”
Wabara continued: “The decision of the National Working Committee directing the Deputy National Secretary to act as National Secretary in accordance with the extant powers of the NWC remains valid, having not been set aside by the NWC or NEC. The attempt by Amb. Damagum to overturn that decision is a gross abuse of office.
“The BoT, being the conscience of the party, cannot stand idly by and watch the party descend into chaos through acts of impunity, unilateralism, and disregard for constitutional procedures. The 100th NEC Meeting must proceed as scheduled on Monday, June 30, 2025. Members of NEC should disregard any contradictory statements regarding the meeting.
“Arc. Setonji Koshoedo remains Acting National Secretary pending a formal decision by the appropriate organ of the party. All members should uphold the supremacy of the PDP Constitution and resist attempts to destabilise the party.”
Background to the National Secretaryship Tussle
All efforts to patch the cracks in the PDP, in order to keep the party as one, and on the same lane have failed, with the prospects of achieving that goal today looking doubtful, as the disparate voices within stuck to their positions on the eve of a crucial NEC meeting.
The sticking point remains who occupies the position of the National Secretary, with Nigeria’s apex judicial body, the Supreme Court, ruling that the prerogative to fill the position rests with the party without external intervention from the lower courts, which’d given divergent opinions favouring either of the contenders to the position.
With the Supreme Court returning the matter to the PDP to decide, the controversy continued, as the initial two camps to the dispute – those of former Vice President and ex-presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike – resorted to interpretating the court’s opinion as favouring their respective positions.
As he aspired to be Imo State governor in 2023, the PDP South-East zonal committee nominated Chief S.K Udeh-Okoye from Enugu State, to replace Anyanwu – the duly-elected national secretary in 2021 – arguing that assuming the roles of national secretary and PDP’s candidate in Imo would be a distraction.
As reported by TheCable on October 22, 2023, after a meeting on October 20, the PDP members across the zone resolved, in a communique, to forward Udeh-Okoye’s name to the NWC for the national secretary, even as the members pledged “to ensure Anyanwu wins the gubernatorial election in Imo.”
But the decision “stirred controversy within the PDP,” with then-acting chairman of the BoT, Wabara, asking Anyanwu to resign as the national secretary, being the candidate in the November 11, 2023, poll in Imo; while Wike countered Wabara as lacking the authority to declare “who can occupy the office of national secretary of the PDP.”
As Wike and a few PDP governors backed Anyanwu, the real grouse against him by the Atiku camp of majority of the governors and BoT members isn’t that he’d forfeited the national secretaryship when he went and contested for Imo’s governor, but the backing he enjoys from Wike, who’s viewed by the Atiku camp as the PDP albatross.
In any case, Anyanwu denied resigning as the PDP national secretary during his bid for governor, noting that he took a leave of absence, and would return if he failed in the contest. And having lost to second-term seeking Governor Hope Uzodimma, and unable to reverse the poll at the courts, he returned to duty at the PDP headquarters, and met a brickwall of opposition.
As the Wike and Atiku camps outplayed each other over Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye, a third PDP faction emerged, created by Oyo Governor Makinde, who, looking to break ranks with other governors – even as he’s part of the delegation that met with the INEC on June 25 – started to push Mr Koshoedo for national secretary.
With also alleged parting of ways with the Wike-led group of five PDP Governors (PDP G-5) that scuttled Atiku’s 2023 presidential ambition, Makinde gained the backing of majority of the NWC members, the BoT and other stakeholders, to appoint Koshoedo as Acting National Secretary during the 99th NEC meeting on May 27.
Now that the game has come down to the wire, whose prompting and command will members of NEC of the PDP listen to and obey today, June 30, 2025: The Chairman of the BoT, Sen. Wabara, whose position is mainly advisory, or the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Damagum, who runs the day-to-day affairs of the PDP? Polity watchers will know the answer in a matter of hours hence!
Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. Can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon.
