The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened further on Wednesday as Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and ex-Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike disagreed over the planned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and the return of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
Makinde’s group, which includes governors like Peter Mbah of Enugu, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Ademola Adeleke of Osun, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, and 11 members of the National Working Committee (NWC), stood firm on holding the NEC meeting on June 30 as earlier agreed. They also rejected Anyanwu’s reinstatement.
Wike’s allies, however, support Anyanwu’s return and are pushing for a postponement of the NEC meeting. These include Governors Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Adamu Fintiri (Adamawa), Taraba’s Kefas Agbu, as well as party leaders like acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN).
Damagum had announced on Wednesday that the NEC meeting would be replaced with an expanded caucus gathering, also set for June 30, and stated that Anyanwu had been reinstated as National Secretary. He noted that this was in line with advice from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which still recognises Anyanwu as the rightful officeholder.
This decision has sparked resistance. Eleven of the 19 NWC members rejected Damagum’s move, saying it contradicted NEC’s previous resolution. According to them, the NEC remains the top decision-making body of the party, and no organ or individual has the right to override its authority.
The tension follows INEC’s rejection of a letter from Damagum announcing the NEC meeting. INEC insisted the letter was invalid because it lacked the required joint signature from both the chairman and secretary, as stated in the PDP’s internal guidelines.
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, had earlier said INEC’s role was limited to receiving notifications and not deciding internal matters. But Damagum distanced the party from those comments, calling them personal views made without proper consultation.
Speaking alongside prominent figures like Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed and former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Damagum confirmed that an expanded caucus would meet on June 30. He said this gathering would tackle pressing issues and shape the road to the national convention.
“So, that caucus (meeting) will take a decision for NEC as well as all critical issues brought before us,” he said. “Anyanwu will resume as the National Secretary. I think that’s the most important thing.”
National Organising Secretary Umar Bature backed this, saying Anyanwu’s return followed a Supreme Court judgment.
Meanwhile, six deputy national officers of the party issued a joint statement in support of Anyanwu’s reinstatement. They urged members to put aside their differences and work together as a family. “We also call on any stakeholder or group within the party to avail themselves on June 30 for us all to jaw-jaw on the way forward as a family,” they said.
Wike, on his part, criticised Damagum’s announcement, saying, “The national secretary is not your appointee… You can’t ask him to resume because of the illegalities you’re perpetrating.” He described the PDP’s visit to INEC as “ignorant and shameful.”
However, the group of 11 NWC members restated their stand in a new statement, confirming that the NEC meeting will still hold on June 30. They also said Damagum’s decision to bring back Anyanwu contradicted NEC’s past resolutions, and insisted that only NEC has the authority to decide on the matter.
Prominent PDP elder Chief Bode George rejected claims that Anyanwu’s reinstatement meant Wike controlled the party. He said, “Let us meet at the NEC. When the NEC meets, that is when you will know who is winning and who is losing.”
Meanwhile, Wike’s ally Dr. Chidi Lloyd supported the NWC’s action. He said Anyanwu was never officially removed and called for party leaders to come together to prepare for the 2027 elections.
