…NWC members push back
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), is once again embroiled in internal turmoil, following conflicting announcements over the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary and the fate of the party’s forthcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, at a press conference on Tuesday, declared that the party had resolved to reinstate Anyanwu into the National Working Committee (NWC) after consultations with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He also announced the cancellation of the 100th NEC meeting originally scheduled for June 30, replacing it with an expanded National Caucus meeting on the same day.
Flanked by top PDP leaders including Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed and former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Damagum described the move as a difficult but necessary compromise, influenced largely by INEC’s position on the legal status of the National Secretary.
“INEC is our regulator, and has advised us accordingly. Given the urgency of the upcoming FCT elections and the sensitive role of the National Secretary; we have no choice but to act in the party’s best interest”, Damagum said.
However, the decision has triggered immediate backlash within the party. In a strongly worded joint statement, key members of the NWC – including Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, and Acting National Secretary, Hon. Setonji Koshoedo – rejected both Damagum’s announcement and the purported reinstatement of Anyanwu.
They insisted that the resolution from the 99th NEC meeting, which scheduled the 100th NEC session for June 30, remains valid and binding. “The NEC is the highest decision-making body after the National Convention,” the statement read. “No officer or group has the constitutional authority to cancel or alter its resolution”.
The NWC members also maintained that the matter of the National Secretary’s position was referred to the next NEC meeting and that no formal decision has yet been taken on Anyanwu’s status.
This latest episode highlights the deepening rifts within the PDP, which has struggled with persistent leadership disputes, high-profile defections, and factional power tussles since its loss of federal power in 2015.
The battle over the National Secretary position – between Anyanwu, an ally of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and Sunday Udeh-Okoye – has only further exacerbated tensions ahead of a critical election cycle.
As of now, the party remains divided, with uncertainty looming over its ability to present a united front going forward.
