PDP Plunged into Fresh Crisis as Secretary Tussle Creates Confusion Over NEC Meeting

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently embroiled in fresh internal turmoil, with a persisting tussle over the National Secretary position casting a long shadow of confusion over the party’s rescheduled 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. The crisis deepened following a controversial decision by the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to unilaterally reinstate Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary and pivot the planned NEC meeting into an “expanded caucus meeting.”

This move has been met with strong resistance from a significant bloc within the party, including the Board of Trustees (BoT) and a majority of the National Working Committee (NWC) members, who insist that the NEC meeting must proceed as scheduled for Monday, June 30, 2025.

The core of the dispute revolves around the legitimate occupant of the National Secretary’s office. Senator Samuel Anyanwu, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had left the position to contest the 2023 Imo State governorship election. In his absence, the South-East caucus of the party nominated Sunday Udeh-Okoye as his replacement, and subsequently, the party’s Governors Forum nominated Setonji Koshoedo to act as Secretary.

While a Supreme Court ruling on March 21, 2025, declined jurisdiction, effectively treating the issue as an internal party matter, it failed to resolve the deep-seated disagreements. The 99th NEC meeting had explicitly resolved that the leadership dispute over the National Secretary position would be settled at the upcoming 100th NEC meeting.

However, Acting Chairman Damagum’s recent action to reinstate Anyanwu, reportedly after a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which cited inconsistencies in party communications due to the secretaryship tussle, has ignited fresh outrage. Eleven out of the 19 NWC members have vociferously rejected Damagum’s unilateral decision, calling it a “blatant violation of the PDP constitution and an affront to the NEC’s authority.”

Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), strongly condemned Damagum’s actions, emphasizing that the NEC remains the party’s highest decision-making body after the National Convention, and its resolutions are binding. “By virtue of Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution, the resolution of the NEC at its 99th meeting to hold its 100th meeting on Monday, 30th June, 2025, is binding on all organs and members of the PDP,” Wabara declared, reaffirming that Arc. Setonji Koshoedo remains the acting National Secretary pending a formal decision by the appropriate party organ.

This deepening crisis has exposed clear factional lines within the party, with Wike’s loyalists backing Anyanwu, while supporters of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde appear to be supporting Koshoedo and Udeh-Okoye in the long term. Party insiders warn that the escalating infighting not only undermines the PDP’s democratic principles but also risks weakening its position as a credible opposition force, especially with crucial FCT elections on the horizon. Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja has deferred hearing on a suit seeking to validate Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s position as National Secretary until September 22, 2025, further prolonging the uncertainty.