• Governors complicit in plan to destroy party, Suswam alleges
• Akpabio: Tinubu seeks vibrant contenders, laments disarray in PDP, LP
• Put your houses in order, stop accusing Tinubu, Shehu Sani tells opposition
• Wike knocks PDP leadership over S’Court ruling on National Secretary
The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened as Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and key members of the National Working Committee (NWC) appear headed for a confrontation over Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s reinstatement as National Secretary and the proposed June 30, 2025, National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
During a media briefing yesterday, Damagum announced Anyanwu’s reinstatement as National Secretary and the cancellation of the NEC meeting. He explained that following a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, the party deemed it necessary to reinstate Anyanwu, who had been removed in defiance of a Supreme Court judgment.
Damagum described the decision as difficult but widely accepted by key stakeholders.
Flanked by Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and other party leaders, Damagum stated: “Senator Samuel Anyanwu has been reinstated in the NWC. It was a difficult decision, and it was accepted by many members of the party, led by the organs of the party.”
He further disclosed plans to hold an expanded caucus meeting instead of the NEC meeting, adding, “At the next caucus, we will take a decision leading to a proper NEC. Anyanwu is resuming as the National Secretary. That is why I said it was a critical decision. Like INEC said, they don’t have our notice, so what we will have on June 30 is an expanded caucus.”
The party’s leadership crisis began when Sunday Ude-Okoye, a former National Youth Leader, received the backing of the PDP Governors Forum to assume the role of National Secretary amid internal disputes. However, the party’s National Working Committee later appointed the Deputy National Secretary as Acting Secretary, a move rejected by INEC.
INEC insisted that Anyanwu remained the National Secretary in line with a Supreme Court judgment. The electoral body also rejected the party’s notice for the June 30 NEC meeting, citing non-compliance with its 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, which require joint signatures from the National Chairman and National Secretary.
In a letter signed by INEC Acting National Secretary, Haliru Aminu, and addressed to Damagum, the electoral body stated: “The Commission draws your attention that the notice is not in compliance with the requirement of part 2(12)3 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022, that provides ‘the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party shall jointly sign the notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting and submit same to the Commission.’”
HOWEVER, a major rift has emerged within the party’s leadership following a sharp rebuttal by key National Working Committee (NWC) members who distanced themselves from a statement credited to Damagum.
Damagum had earlier denounced a media briefing by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, regarding the party’s upcoming 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
In a strongly worded counter-statement issued on Tuesday, several senior members of the NWC reaffirmed that Ologunagba’s media session, held on Sunday, June 22, 2025, was accurate and fully authorised by the party’s leadership.
The NWC reiterated that the landmark 100th NEC meeting will be held as scheduled on Monday, June 30, 2025, a date unanimously approved during the 99th NEC session convened on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Notably, they reminded the public that Damagum himself officially announced the agreed date during a post-meeting communiqué.
“The remarks made by the National Publicity Secretary during the media session reflect the official position of the party and were made with the full authority and backing of the NWC,” the rebuttal read in part.
The statement was jointly signed by prominent NWC figures, including the Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; Acting National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo; National Auditor, Sir Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel; and National Financial Secretary, Dr Woyengikuro Daniel, among others.
They emphasised that all party structures—across states, zones, and affiliated organs—remain bound by the NEC’s decision to reconvene on June 30.
The development is the latest indication of widening cracks within the PDP’s top hierarchy. Observers see the unfolding crisis as a litmus test for the party’s cohesion and direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Further compounding the tension is the controversial reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary; a decision that many within the NWC say was taken unilaterally by Damagum, without due consultation.
Speaking with The Guardian in a telephone interview, PDP National Vice Chairman (South West), Kamorudeen Ajisafe, dismissed Damagum’s action as irregular and lacking legitimacy. He asserted that Anyanwu’s exit was a collective decision of the NWC, so his reinstatement should have followed due process.
“Although I didn’t personally sign the statement that contradicted Damagum’s press conference, I fully support the position of my colleagues,” Ajisafe said. “The acting national chairman has no authority to singlehandedly reinstate Anyanwu without broad consultation. What he did goes against the collective will of the NWC.”
Ajisafe further accused Damagum and his associates of sidelining key stakeholders, including PDP governors from Oyo, Osun, and Enugu States. “The rush with which Damagum reinstated Anyanwu was suspicious and deeply questionable,” he added.
While Ologunagba declined to comment when contacted, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, confirmed that a meeting of party elders had just concluded when news of Anyanwu’s reinstatement broke. He said he would withhold further comment until he consulted with some governors.
Nonetheless, George voiced concern over the escalating internal tensions, warning that the discord could lead to a significant fracture within the NWC; an outcome he described as “dangerous” for the future and stability of the PDP.
As of press time, Damagum had yet to issue a follow-up statement or clarification on the controversy, even as party insiders anticipate more reactions in the days leading up to the crucial June 30 NEC meeting.
Governors complicit in plan to destroy party, Suswan alleges
Former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, has accused governors elected on the platform of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of complicity with those planning to eliminate the party from the polity.
He regretted that the PDP acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, has demonstrated a painful lack of the emotional and intellectual quotient expected of a leader. He added that the conflation of contradictory letters written by the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) exposes Damagum’s poor leadership acumen.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Suswam expressed worry that the party’s so-called leaders allowed the reinstatement of the embattled Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary after months of going around in circles.
He said the decision by some members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) loyal to the PDP governors to issue a press conference disagreeing with the reinstatement of Anyanwu as secretary shows that there is more to the entire saga than meets the eye.
Suswam, who was one of the aspirants to the position of national chairman, lamented that the crisis and confusion within the PDP suggest that the party may not field competitive candidates in the forthcoming election in Ekiti State.
He disclosed that the state of affairs in the PDP has disposed him to consider an array of political alternatives, including the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Labour Party, and the bourgeoning coalition.
“I am still satisfied with the PDP, but if the coalition presents a better platform, I would not mind joining them,” he stated, pointing out that as an incumbent governor, he joined his colleagues to dismiss the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“So, those writing off the coalition must be mistaken. I am convinced that the ruling APC will not win the 2027 general elections, especially in the face of the excruciating hardship the masses are contending with,” he added.
Wike knocks PDP leadership over Supreme Court ruling on National Secretary
On Tuesday, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike criticised the PDP leadership, accusing it of legal ignorance and internal sabotage for delaying the enforcement of a Supreme Court ruling affirming Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
Wike rebuked PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, for allegedly seeking the directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission before implementing the court’s decision. He described the action as legally unnecessary and politically embarrassing.
“I heard it when the acting National Chairman of PDP was directing the National Secretary to resume. The National Secretary is not your appointee. The National Secretary has been doing his work. So, you can’t call him to resume,” Wike said.
He stressed that Anyanwu, having been validly elected, never vacated his position and required neither reappointment nor external validation to continue his duties. “The law does not recognise ignorance. That you’re ignorant of the law is not an excuse,” he said, expressing disappointment over the party’s deference to INEC in a matter resolved by the nation’s highest court.
Wike also accused Damagum of allowing ego and reliance on party funds to influence his actions.
“Continue to shoot yourself. I will not be part of those who will sabotage themselves. When you don’t know something, ask the right person. Not because of ego, not because of monthly allocation. Money does not solve all the problems,” he added.
Put your houses in order, stop accusing Tinubu, Shehu Sani tells opposition
Former lawmaker Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, has challenged opposition parties to resolve their internal crisis and stop accusing President Bola Tinubu of being behind their tussles.
Sani, who made this call yesterday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, said it was unfortunate that the country’s opposition was looking up to the president to solve their problems.
The opposition parties included the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
“How logical is it when you have a problem in your house, then you start blaming your neighbour or adversary for it when you should address it. If there is a problem in the PDP, it is for the PDP to solve; if there is a problem in the Labour Party and SDP, it is for the Labour Party and SDP to solve. If there is a problem in the NNPP, it is for the NNPP to solve. I don’t know whether they are also trying to ask the president to come to their party and solve their problems,” he said.
Recall that the opposition parties have witnessed internal crises in recent times, with their membership massively depleted as governors, members of the National Assembly, and others joined the ranks of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The members who left for the APC cited internal political wranglings within their parties.
Meanwhile, the opposition members have alleged that the ruling party and Tinubu were masterminding the instabilities in their parties.
Reacting to the allegation, however, the ex-Kaduna lawmaker said it is irresponsible to blame Tinubu for the internal crises in the opposition.
“If you are in the PDP and you have people working against your party, you refuse to suspend them, you refuse to expel them, and then you decide to focus on the president as responsible for your problem. I think you are simply being irresponsible.
“If you are in the SDP and you have a crisis in your party and you don’t fix it, and then you are looking for the president or blaming the president, trying to find a scapegoat for your problems, I think you are just unserious,” he added.
Sani further stated that it was not in the president’s best interest to fix the issues in the opposition, stressing that it was part of a political strategy to see “your adversary” battling so many issues.
“So, to me, as a president from a ruling party, he cannot be seen trying to fix a missile or a gun that will be directed at him,” the former Kaduna lawmaker said.
“It is part of a political strategy to ensure that your adversary has so many problems within his own area that he will not be able to contend,” he said.
Akpabio: Tinubu seeks vibrant contenders, laments disarray in PDP, LP
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has revealed that President Bola Tinubu is committed to fostering a vibrant opposition in Nigeria and is disheartened by the ongoing disarray within opposition parties.
Akpabio made this remark yesterday while commissioning the newly constructed Interchange Bridge of Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way) over the Outer Northern Expressway (Murtala Mohammed Expressway) in Abuja.
The project, marking Tinubu’s second year in office, was commissioned on behalf of the President by Akpabio.
During the event, Akpabio expressed Tinubu’s concern over the state of the opposition, stating, “It saddens him when he sees the way the opposition in Nigeria is in disarray. As a true democrat, he would like to see a very vibrant opposition in the country.”
The Senate President also addressed the internal crises affecting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP). He urged the PDP leadership to resolve its issues, particularly concerning the party’s National Secretary position, which had recently led to consultations with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“You people got yourselves into this confusion, try and get yourselves out of it very quickly. Tinubu is very interested in seeing a vibrant opposition,” Akpabio said.
He further criticised the Labour Party for its internal divisions, questioning the party’s ability to lead Nigeria if it cannot resolve its organisational challenges. “It’s not only the PDP that is in disarray; even the Labour Party is cracked. People who are strong members of the LP are trying to run Nigeria when they can’t put a small political party like that in order,” he added.
Akpabio also welcomed Senator Imasuen’s defection from the Labour Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the plenary earlier in the day, noting that the APC’s doors remain open to new members.
“So congratulations to Imasuen, who has decided to leave the fractured LP to join the APC,” Akpabio remarked.
