The National Secretary of the Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, on Tuesday led the party’s delegation to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) consultative meeting with political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting, which was ongoing at the commission’s headquarters as of press time, came barely one week after political parties conducted primaries to nominate candidates for upcoming elections.

Anyanwu’s presence at the meeting is significant against the backdrop of the lingering leadership crisis within the PDP and recent court rulings affecting the party’s national structure.

While Anyanwu was physically present at the meeting, former Senate President and leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, was represented by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Oserheimen Osunbor.

The consultative meeting brought together leaders and representatives of registered political parties to engage with the electoral commission on issues relating to the electoral process and preparations for forthcoming elections.

The development comes after the factional Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Mao Ohuabunwa, said a Supreme Court judgment had affirmed the leadership structure headed by National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu.

Ohuabunwa, who belongs to the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, argued that the judgment reaffirmed the authority of Mohammed and Anyanwu to steer the affairs of the party at the national level.

The apex court, in a split 3-2 decision, nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, which produced a leadership backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

In the majority judgment, the court held that the convention was conducted in violation of subsisting court orders requiring the party to fulfil certain conditions before proceeding with the exercise.

Similarly, the Supreme Court recently restored the leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark.

The court set aside an earlier “status quo ante bellum” order and directed INEC to recognise Mark and members of his executive committee pending the determination of substantive suits before the Federal High Court.

Tuesday’s meeting marked the first major engagement between INEC and political parties since the conclusion of the latest round of party primaries, with attention focused on the participation of key party officials amid ongoing leadership contests in some of the country’s major political parties.