PDP crisis: Factions hold parallel NEC meetings,
…Says zone reserves the right to review the future with PDP, if…
By Dapo Akinrefon & Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA-THE controversy surrounding the status of today’s National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting, has torn the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apart as two factions within the party have resolved to proceed with two parallel NEC meetings.
The decision comes amid growing tensions over party leadership and procedural disagreements with INEC.
This came as Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, rising from a closed-door meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; and the South East Zonal Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa, among others, at the Government House, Enugu, yesterday, said he stood fully by the position of the National Working Committee, NWC, the Board of Trustees, and South East Zonal Executive Committee, ZEC, on the crisis rocking the party.
While the National Working Committee, NWC, is convening the National executive Committee, NEC, meeting, Senator Anyanwu, who was controversially reinstated by Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, has summoned an expanded caucus meeting.
Recall that the Acting National Chairman of the party, Amb. Umar Damagum, had reinstated Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary last week and shifted the NEC meeting scheduled for today, But the National Working Committee, NWC, and Board of Trustees, BoT, rejected this and insisted that the NEC meeting holds today.
According to a notice issued on last night by Senator Anyanwu, the meeting will involve statutory members of the National caucus, deputy national officers, members of the Board of Trustees, BoT, state chairmen, members of the National Assembly caucus, former National Working Committee, NWC, members, national ex-officio members, former governors, and immediate past gubernatorial candidates.
The notice said attendance was strictly by invitation, underscoring the urgency and exclusivity of the deliberations.
However, the expanded caucus meeting, and the 100th National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting, also scheduled for 30 June, remain mired in controversy due to internal leadership disputes and procedural irregularities flagged by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The commission had rejected the PDP’s notification for the NEC meeting because it was signed solely by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, without the mandatory co-signature of the national secretary, in line with INEC’s 2022 Regulations.
The development triggered tensions within the party, with National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, insisting that INEC had no authority to interfere in the party’s internal affairs.
Damagum, however, disowned Ologunagba’s statement, describing it as unauthorised.
The crisis deepened when Damagum announced the reinstatement of Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary and postponed the NEC meeting, decisions that were swiftly rejected by 11 NWC members and the BoT.
They maintained that the NEC meeting would proceed as planned, citing the supremacy of NEC resolutions as enshrined in the PDP Constitution.
Matters took a dramatic turn when PDP staff at the national headquarters staged a walkout in protest, accusing Anyanwu of being a destabilising force within the party.
Despite the backlash, Anyanwu has continued to enjoy the backing of influential allies, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
However, a National Working Committee, NWC, member told Vanguard yesterday that the National Executive Committee, of the party woud hold today as orginally planned.
In an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja yesterday, PDP National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyengikuro, addressed the controversy, clarified that the NEC meeting was a continuation of an earlier adjourned session which must go ahead without obstruction.
Woyengikuro dismissed claims that INEC had advised the party not to recognise the signature of the Acting National Secretary, Arc. Setonji Koshoedo, describing them as false and misleading.
The National Working Committee, NWC, member accused unnamed party members of fuelling confusion by attempting to downgrade the NEC meeting to an ‘expanded caucus’ session, allegedly citing INEC as justification.
“They’re claiming INEC said this or that, but we’ve just heard that INEC has denied making any such statements.
“Doesn’t it make you wonder who’s behind this confusion? The people causing this nonsense are now trying to change the meeting’s purpose, citing INEC as their justification. This is unacceptable,” he said.
He further urged transparency from the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, calling on him to clarify what INEC purportedly told him during the party’s 100th NEC meeting scheduled for today.
“He (Damagum) should come to the meeting and explain to us exactly what INEC told him. Meanwhile, the NGO, Initiative for Ethics and Value Orientation, that wrote to INEC has received a response confirming that the electoral commission never made such statements.
”This response is all over social media and in the public domain. There’s no room for ambiguity here,” Woyengikuro added.
INEC, in the letter addressed to the civil society organisation, categorically denied issuing any advisory to the PDP regarding Koshoedo’s signature.
The letter, signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, stated that ‘the document under reference was not in its records’, effectively validating Koshoedo’s appointment as Acting National Secretary.
Woyengikuro emphasised the need to uphold the party’s constitution, which stipulates that the Deputy National Secretary should act in the absence of a substantive national secretary.
“The constitution is clear: in the absence of the secretary, the deputy national secretary acts. Since there’s currently a dispute over who holds the secretary position, the deputy national secretary should step in.
”It’s a straightforward matter. Anyone trying to bypass this process is undermining the party’s constitution and creating unnecessary divisions,” he said.
The controversy originated from INEC’s initial rejection of the PDP’s NEC meeting notification, citing procedural irregularities.
The notification was signed solely by Acting National Chairman, Damagum, without the required co-signature of the national secretary, as outlined in INEC’s 2022 Regulations.
This triggered a backlash, with PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, asserting that INEC lacked authority to interfere in internal party affairs.
However, Damagum publicly disowned Ologunagba’s statement as unauthorised and announced the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, and also postponed the NEC meeting.
These moves were promptly rejected by 11 members of the National Working Committee, NWC, and the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, who insisted that the meeting would go ahead today, citing the supremacy of NEC resolutions under the PDP constitution.
The ongoing dispute over the national secretary position highlights deep factional divisions within the PDP leadership.
PDP deputy chairman confirms 100th NEC meeting proceeds as planned
“The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, also affirmed last night that the NEC meeting would proceed today as scheduled.
Briefing journalists, alongside other members of the National Working Committee, NWC, Ambassador Arapaja underscored the PDP’s commitment to constitutional order and internal democracy.““The 100th NEC meeting will proceed as scheduled tomorrow, Monday, 30th June 2025, at the NEC Hall of the Wadata Plaza, PDP National Secretariat, Abuja,” Arapaja declared.“He explained that the meeting was unanimously scheduled during the 99th NEC session held on 27 May 2025, and is binding on all party organs and members, in accordance with Section 31(3) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017). The NWC emphasised that no organ, group, or officer has the authority to alter, cancel, or override the properly convened meeting.““Contrary to a purported notice circulating on social media, the 100th NEC meeting has not been converted to a Special Expanded National Caucus meeting. The said notice did not emanate from the PDP and should be disregarded,” Arapaja said.“The NWC further clarified that there is no provision for an ‘Expanded National Caucus’ in the PDP Constitution or any official party guidelines. Section 30 of the Constitution explicitly outlines the composition, powers, and meeting procedures of the National Caucus, with no mention of expansion.
The suggestion, proposal, or announcement for a ‘Special Expanded National Caucus Meeting’ is therefore unconstitutional and cannot take any decision for the PDP, being not a recognised organ or body of the party,” Arapaja added.“The 100th NEC meeting, he said, would receive reports from the zoning committee and the national convention organising committee in preparation for the PDP National Convention scheduled to hold from 28 to 30 August 2025.
“The NWC reiterated its dedication to upholding the rule of law, due process, and internal democratic practices within the party.““The PDP is a political party built on the foundation of strict adherence to the rule of law, guided by the due process of our party constitution and the ethos of internal democracy. These values must be protected and preserved at all times,” Arapaja stated.“He expressed appreciation for the support and solidarity of PDP members nationwide, assuring them that both the 100th NEC meeting and the National Convention would proceed as planned.
I stand by position of S’East, NWC, BOT on NEC, Nat Scribe, says Gov Mbah
“Meanwhile, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has said he stood fully by the position of the National Working Committee, NWC, the Board of Trustees, and South East Zonal Executive Committee, ZEC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on the crisis rocking the party.“He also expressed support for the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the party scheduled for today in Abuja, saying while he was still a member of the PDP, he was “simply fed up with the shenanigans that have more or less made the party an endless circus.”“The governor, who made his position known after a closed-door meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; and the South East Zonal Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa, among others, at the Government House, Enugu also maintained that the position of the South East ZEC of the PDP to review its future with the party if its stand on the issue of the National Secretary was not honoured remained sacrosanct.
Other PDP chieftains at the meeting include the former National Chairman of the party and BOT member, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo; Senator Sam Egwu, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Senator Ben Obi, and Hon. Udeh-Okoye, among others.
The governor stated: “For the record, just as I stated during my interactive session with fellows and members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu at the weekend, while I am still a member of the PDP, the South East, and that includes me, reserves the right to review our continued membership of the party if the party is unwilling to put its house in order. That was invariably the position adopted during our last South East Zonal meeting held here in Enugu. During that meeting, the caucus noted that the party should not disregard the zone’s stand regarding the national secretary position. To all intents and purposes, this has obviously not been the case. So, there is no doubt as to where I stand on the matter. “The position of the South East with respect to the national secretaryship of the party as issued in that communique is sacrosanct,” he stated.
The post PDP crisis: Factions hold parallel NEC meetings appeared first on Vanguard News.
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THE controversy surrounding the status of today’s National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting, has torn the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apart as two factions within the party have resolved to proceed with two parallel NEC meetings.
The post PDP crisis: Factions hold parallel NEC meetings appeared first on Vanguard News.
, , Idowu Bankole, {authorlink},, , Vanguard News, June 30, 2025, 1:55 am
