The leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened, with two rival factions set to hold parallel meetings today at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, each claiming the authority to convene the 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, who had earlier postponed the NEC meeting following consultations with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), later announced a stakeholders’ meeting for the same day. He and Senator Samuel Anyanwu jointly signed the invitation for this meeting, thereby affirming Anyanwu’s recognition as the party’s National Secretary.
However, Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and 10 other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), rejected Anyanwu’s reinstatement and insisted that the NEC meeting, scheduled by the 99th NEC, could not be postponed by Damagum alone.
Arapaja maintained that the “100th NEC meeting will proceed as scheduled on Monday, 30th June 2025 at the NEC Hall of the Wadata Plaza, PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.” He added that the NEC meeting “will, among other things, receive updates on the activities of the Zoning Committee and the National Convention Organising Committee.”
In a statement released to the press, Arapaja emphasized that “no organ, group or officer of the party has the power to alter, change, vary, veto or convert the already convened NEC meeting.” He denounced reports of a Special Expanded National Caucus meeting, saying, “The said notice did not emanate from the PDP and should be disregarded. The suggestion, proposal or announcement for a ‘Special Expanded National Caucus meeting’ is therefore unconstitutional.”
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah lent his support to Arapaja’s faction, echoing the threat from the Southeast PDP Caucus to reconsider its position in the party if Sunday Udeh-Okoye is not allowed to assume the National Secretary role. “There is no doubt as to where I stand on the matter,” Mbah said. “The position of the Southeast with respect to the national secretaryship of the party as issued in that communique is sacrosanct.”
Mbah was joined at a meeting in Enugu by Governor Makinde, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, and National Vice Chairman (Southeast) Chief Ali Odefa, all of whom supported the NEC meeting taking place today. Also in attendance were prominent party figures like former PDP National Chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senator Sam Egwu, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Senator Ben Obi, and Udeh-Okoye himself.
The group insisted that Deputy National Publicity Secretary Setonji Koshoedo should act as National Secretary until a resolution is reached.
Meanwhile, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is aligned with Damagum’s camp, warned of further defections if the internal crisis persists. Speaking on television, Saraki admitted that “we haven’t seen the worst of the defections for PDP. We would probably see maybe one or two governors who will defect, and we might see some senators who will defect.”
He added, “For some of us, this happening early in PDP is an advantage. We are lucky that this is not happening, let’s say late 2026. We would not even have had time to recover and regroup.”
Saraki confirmed that INEC recognizes Anyanwu as the valid National Secretary based on a Supreme Court judgment delivered on March 21, 2025. “A recent meeting between PDP leaders and INEC helped clarify the commission’s position,” he said.
Calling for urgent reforms, Saraki argued that the next PDP convention must not be “business as usual,” urging the party to embrace younger, more dynamic leadership. “If PDP fails, Nigeria edges closer to a one-party state. And that would be a disaster for democracy,” he warned.
Despite Damagum’s backing by high-ranking party members such as Governor Bala Mohammed, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and Senator Bukola Saraki, the opposing camp led by Makinde, Mbah, and Wabara appears determined to challenge his leadership and resist Anyanwu’s return.
