The NWC and BoT rejected both decisions and insisted the NEC meeting must hold as planned
By Titilope Adako
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Sunday as two opposing factions within the party prepared to hold parallel National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.
While the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) is holding its 100th NEC meeting as scheduled, Senator Samuel Anyanwu—recently reinstated as National Secretary by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum—has convened a separate expanded caucus meeting.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, after a closed-door meeting with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, and South-East Zonal Chairman Chief Ali Odefa, declared his support for the position of the NWC, BoT, and South-East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) regarding the ongoing dispute.
KoikiMedia reported that Damagum last week reinstated Anyanwu and shifted the NEC meeting scheduled for today.
However, the NWC and BoT rejected both decisions and insisted the NEC meeting must hold as planned.
A notice issued by Senator Anyanwu on Sunday night invited statutory members of the National Caucus, deputy national officers, BoT members, state chairmen, National Assembly caucus members, former NWC members, national ex-officio members, former governors, and recent gubernatorial candidates to attend the expanded caucus meeting.
The notice emphasised that participation was strictly by invitation, highlighting the urgent and exclusive nature of the gathering.
However, both the expanded caucus meeting and the main NEC meeting remain controversial due to leadership disputes and procedural irregularities flagged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC reportedly rejected the PDP’s NEC notification because it was signed only by Acting National Chairman Damagum, without the required co-signature of the National Secretary, in line with INEC’s 2022 Regulations.
National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba had claimed INEC had no right to interfere in the PDP’s internal matters, but Damagum disowned the statement, labelling it unauthorised.
Tensions increased when Damagum’s reinstatement of Anyanwu and attempt to postpone the NEC meeting were overruled by 11 NWC members and the BoT. They insisted the NEC meeting would proceed, citing the supremacy of NEC decisions as enshrined in the PDP Constitution.
Speaking to Vanguard in Abuja, PDP National Financial Secretary Daniel Woyengikuro said the NEC meeting is a continuation of an earlier adjourned session and must go ahead.
He dismissed reports that INEC had advised against recognising Acting National Secretary Arc. Setonji Koshoedo’s signature, calling the claims false.
“There are people within our party deliberately sowing confusion,” he said. “They’re trying to downgrade the NEC meeting to a mere caucus session and are wrongly citing INEC as justification.”
He challenged Damagum to come before NEC members and explain what INEC allegedly told him.
“He should come and tell us exactly what INEC said,” Woyengikuro added.
“Meanwhile, the Initiative for Ethics and Value Orientation, the NGO that wrote to INEC, has received a response clearly denying that INEC made any such claims. It’s already public—there’s no more room for deception.”
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