PDP crisis: Disciplinary c’ttee invites Anyanwu, Ortom as BoT directs NWC to swear in Ude-Okoye 

• Zone national chair to N’Central to prevent deeper turmoil, Ologbondiyan warns

The crisis within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a fresh twist yesterday as the Tom Ikimi-led disciplinary committee summoned National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and 10 others for interrogation regarding petitions filed against them.

In a resolution reached during its meeting in Abuja yesterday, the committee also invited the petitioners to appear before it on February 12, 2025, at the PDP’s national secretariat (annex), known as Legacy House, in Maitama, Abuja.

According to a statement issued by Ikimi, the committee reviewed five petitions, some of which were targeted at prominent members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

However, three of these petitions have been temporarily set aside for ongoing reconciliation efforts led by the PDP Governors’ Forum and the Board of Trustees (BoT).

“The committee, after a detailed review, noted that the first set of petitions were against some key members of the NWC. To avoid jeopardising reconciliation efforts, the committee decided to step down three of the petitions against top NWC members,” the statement reads.

Although the identities of the three NWC members were not disclosed, the statement confirmed that petitions against Anyanwu, Ortom, and 10 others would proceed.

Citing Section 57(1) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), the committee invited the affected individuals, petitioners, and their witnesses to appear before it. Notices have already been issued to the concerned parties.

The disciplinary committee reaffirmed its commitment to upholding party discipline, stressing its constitutional responsibility to handle internal disputes fairly and transparently.

“The National Disciplinary Committee remains dedicated to ensuring discipline within the party and restoring its integrity. We encourage all members with genuine grievances to take advantage of this standing committee and follow due process in addressing their concerns,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the BoT has formally transmitted the resolution of its emergency meeting held in Abuja to the NWC.

In a memo sent less than 24 hours after the meeting, the BoT attached the communiqué from the meeting, the findings of the Saminu Turaki SAN-led fact-finding committee, and copies of court judgements and orders. It instructed the NWC to immediately swear in Sunday Ude-Okoye as the substantive national secretary.

The memo reads in part: “The attention of the NWC is hereby drawn to the attached Legal Opinion of the BoT Committee led by Dr Taninu Kabiru Turaki, SAN, and the communiqué issued at the end of the emergency BoT meeting affirming Rt. Hon. S.K.E. Udeh Okoye as the substantive national secretary of our party.

“NWC is hereby invited to please study the report and its recommendation for immediate implementation.”

The documents were received and stamped by the office of the Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Damagum, before his appointment as acting national chairman.

An Enugu High Court had earlier affirmed Ude-Okoye’s appointment as national secretary, a decision that was upheld on appeal.

However, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, reacting to the development, stated, “With all due respect, the BoT’s position is advisory. I have a valid stay of execution from the Court of Appeal. The substantive matter is still before the Supreme Court. The PDP, as a law-abiding party, should wait for the final decision of the court and not rush into taking decisions that would become counterproductive.”

This came as the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, warned that the PDP may face an even deeper crisis if it fails to zone its national chairmanship position to the North Central region.

Speaking yesterday on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, Ologbondiyan highlighted the unresolved issues within the PDP, stressing that one of the factors behind its failure in the 2023 presidential election could destabilise the party further if left unaddressed.

He emphasised that zoning the national chairmanship to the North Central was crucial for the party’s stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We saw it coming, and anybody in the Peoples Democratic Party who is interested in the party’s life cannot claim not to know that this would happen,” Ologbondiyan said. “The North Central must be allowed to take over the office of the substantive national chairman, which was vacated by Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and is currently occupied in an acting capacity by Ambassador Ilyasu Damagum.”

Ologbondiyan noted that failure to address the issue could reignite grievances similar to those that led to the emergence of the G5 governors, a group of aggrieved PDP leaders led by former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who worked against the party in 2023.

“The challenge that led to the G5 is still alive. It may not function in the same way, but it would be on record that the party at a point was unjust to the people of North Central,” he added.

The PDP, which has been in turmoil since its 2022 national convention that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate, continues to grapple with internal discord.

A legal battle over the national secretary position between Sunday Ude-Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu further underscores the party’s divisions.