Fresh crisis in PDP as 11 NWC members reject Anyanwu’s return

Internal crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worsened yesterday as eleven members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party have rejected the return of Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Umar Damagum, acting national chairman of the PDP, said Anyanwu will resume as the party’s national secretary.

Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi and chairman of the PDP’s Governors’ Forum; Abba Moro, lawmaker representing Benue south and minority leader of the senate; and other party officials, were present during the press conference.

The acting chairman also said the planned national executive committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for June 30 will no longer hold.

Anyanwu, an ally of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), was affirmed after members of the PDP NWC and several governors met with Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other senior officials.

In a joint statement, the 11 NWC members said Anyanwu was not reinstated as the party’s scribe and that the NEC meeting will be held on June 30.

“The pronouncements by the acting national chairman have no foundation as no organ of the party (including the NWC), individual or group has the power to cancel, overrule, veto or vary the resolution of the national executive committee (NEC) under the constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017),” the statement reads.

“Furthermore, the claim by Amb. Damagum that sen. Samuel Anyanwu has been asked to resume office as the national secretary of the party is therefore misleading, being contrary to the resolution of NEC.

“In the light of the foregoing, the 100th NEC meeting as scheduled for Monday, 30th June, 2025 has not been cancelled or postponed.”

The NWC members are Taofeek Arapaja (deputy national chairman, south), Setonji Koshoedo (acting national secretary), Ahmed Mohammed (national treasurer), Okechukwu Daniel (national auditor) and Debo Ologunagba (national publicity secretary).

Others are Woyengikuro Daniel (national financial secretary), Ali Odefa (national vice chairman, south-east), Emmanuel Ogidi- (caretaker committee chairman, south-south), Amina Bryhm (national woman leader).

Hayatu Gwarzo (national vice chairman, north-west), and Ajisafe Toyese (national vice chairman, south-west) make up the list.

In May, the PDP wrote to the electoral body over its plan to hold the NEC meeting at its national secretariat in Abuja on June 30.

The notice, signed by Damagum, was in line with the electoral umpire’s 21-day notification requirement for political meetings of such magnitude.

However, in a letter dated June 13 and addressed to the party’s chairman, INEC said the notice of the meeting failed to comply with its regulations.

The commission said the notice of the proposed NEC meeting ought to have been jointly signed by the party’s national chairman and secretary.

But Ologunagba said the party would go ahead with the NEC meeting, noting that INEC’s approval was not required for the PDP to hold the gathering.

Anyanwu, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, and Koshoedo have each laid claim to the PDP national secretary position.

In December 2024, the court of appeal ruled that Udeh-Okoye should replace Anyanwu as the PDP national secretary.

The south-east zonal executive committee of the party nominated Udeh-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he became the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Imo state in 2023.

Anyanwu had obtained several court injunctions to prevent his removal from office.

However, in a verdict delivered on December 20, 2024, Ridwan Abdullahi, the appeal court judge, dismissed the judgment of the high court, which prevented Anyanwu’s removal, for “lacking in merit”.

Following the judgment, Udeh-Okoye said he is the national secretary of the party.

However, Anyanwu claimed he appealed the judgment and also filed for a stay of execution at the supreme court the same day the appeal court delivered the verdict in favour of Udeh-Okoye.

On January 31, governors elected on the PDP platform recognised Udeh-Okoye as the party’s scribe.

About a week later, the party’s board of trustees (BoT) aligned with the governors.

In March, the supreme court, in its verdict delivered by a five-member panel, held that the debate over the position is an internal affair not subject to adjudication.

Delivering the lead judgment, Jamilu Tukur consequently struck out the ruling of the trial court delivered in October 2024 and also set aside the majority verdict of the court of appeal.

The court affirmed the minority judgment of the appellate court, which had nullified the judgment of the trial court over a “lack of jurisdiction”.

In April, the PDP governors recommended that Koshoedo, the deputy national secretary, should serve in an acting capacity until a substantive secretary is nominated from the south-east zone and ratified by the NEC.

On May 14, the south-east PDP members threatened to leave the party if Udeh-Okoye is not recognised as the national secretary.

In late May, the PDP NEC received the resolution of the south-east zonal executive on the national secretary position but resolved to consider it at its next meeting, scheduled for June 30.

In early June, PDP stakeholders, led by Wike asked the party to allow Anyanwu to serve as national secretary till his tenure ends in December.

Members of the group include three former governors — Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Samuel Ortom of Benue.