The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reinstated Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary. The main opposition reinstated Anyanwu who is an ally to the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday.

The embattled opposition party also rescinded its decision to hold a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) on June 30, 2025.
PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, who briefed journalists on Wednesday morning, explained that after meeting with INEC on Tuesday, it became compelling for the party to swallow the bitter pill by reinstating Anyanwu, who had been removed without recourse to the judgment of the Supreme Court.

Damagum described the decision as difficult but widely accepted among key stakeholders.

The PDP chairman, who was flanked by the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and other party stakeholders, said: “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 that ‘We will have an expanded caucus. At the next caucus, we will make 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 30th is an expanded caucus.”

Following heated political intrigues and battles among warring interest groups within the party, a former national youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, received the backing of the PDP Governors Forum to take over as the National Secretary.

However, political exigencies later compelled the National Working Committee to appoint the deputy national secretary as acting secretary of the party, a decision that was rejected by INEC, which insisted that, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment, Anyanwu remained the national secretary.

Accordingly, attempts by the party to hold a NEC meeting, which many stakeholders saw as a move to formally remove Anyanwu and affirm Ude-Okoye as secretary of the PDP, failed when INEC rejected a notification sent to it by the party.

The electoral body, in a letter signed by its acting National Secretary, Haliru Aminu, and addressed to Damagum, had 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.”