The fact-finding committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has presented a report to the National Executive Committee (NEC), confirming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still officially recognises Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary. This confirmation has triggered new tensions within the party and placed the leadership under growing pressure, especially from party members who support removing Anyanwu.
The confirmation came during the PDP’s 99th NEC meeting, which was held in Abuja on Tuesday, following a two-day National Caucus meeting at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge. The NEC session was convened after weeks of delays caused by internal disagreements and factional disputes. The main issue on the agenda was the status of the National Secretary, a position at the centre of power struggles involving top PDP figures.
Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State led the three-man investigative team, which included Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah. Also part of the committee was PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN. The team was asked to meet with INEC and verify whether Anyanwu’s position was still valid in the eyes of the electoral commission.
Sources at the meeting told reporters that the committee’s findings were based on INEC’s position that Anyanwu remains the recognised National Secretary. INEC reportedly told the PDP that no valid removal had been carried out, and that a proper 21-day notice must be given before any replacement could be made.
The sources stated, “The findings of the Kefas Committee, earlier set up by the National Caucus, were presented to the NEC. The findings revealed that INEC recognises Anyanwu because he has not been officially removed.
“INEC told them that Anyanwu has not been removed and that the Commission must be given at least 21 days’ notice. It also has to witness the removal process.
‘’Therefore, the NEC decided to receive the South-East petition and scheduled it for further deliberation at another meeting slated for June 30 to perfect the removal process.
“Also, while the meeting was ongoing, Anyanwu’s running mate during the last Imo State governorship election, Jones Onyereri, moved a motion that the South-East Zonal National Chairman, Ali Odefa, should not be recognised. He argued that Odefa had been suspended and removed by a court ruling.
“When the situation began to get rowdy, Onyereri was asked to submit a formal petition on the matter at the next NEC meeting.”
This situation has reignited old disagreements between Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and other top leaders in the PDP. Anyanwu is seen as a political ally of Wike, and his continued presence in the National Working Committee is viewed by some as evidence of Wike’s ongoing influence in the party.
Wike, who served as Governor of Rivers State before joining President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with how the party has handled internal disagreements. He recently announced his withdrawal from all reconciliation efforts, blaming Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Peter Mbah of Enugu for escalating the crisis. According to him, the party leadership failed to honour earlier agreements intended to restore unity.
“I am no longer part of the reconciliation process,” Wike said in a statement, directly blaming key PDP governors for what he called “dishonesty” and lack of transparency.
In response to the deepening divide, the reconciliation committee led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki called for an emergency meeting on Sunday night. The aim was to calm tensions and seek common ground, but details of the discussions have not yet been released.
At Tuesday’s NEC meeting, the atmosphere became tense when Jones Onyereri, who was Anyanwu’s running mate in the last Imo State governorship election, raised an objection. He claimed that the South-East Zonal Chairman, Ali Odefa, had been suspended and should no longer be recognised. The objection sparked a brief uproar during the meeting, and Onyereri was asked to submit a formal petition for further review at the next NEC gathering scheduled for June 30.
In its report, the Kefas committee quoted Governor Mbah’s meeting with INEC, where the commission clearly stated that “no vacancy exists” in the National Secretary’s position.
The report read in part, “H.E Peter Mba met with INEC contact and reported to the committee the position/status of the National Secretary thus: That the commission still recognised Sen. Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party in consonance with the Supreme Court judgment
“That there’s no vacancy to be replaced until Anyanwu is removed in accordance with the Constitution of the party. That notice of 21 days should be given to the commission for any such meeting to remove and or replace an official of the Party
“That the NEC meeting should be in compliance with the provisions of the party’s Constitution and requirements in the Electoral Act in the case of removal/appointment of an official of the Party.
“The committee resolved to recommend to the forum that the procedure and the processes be followed to complete the acceptance of the recommendation of the South East caucus in order to lay to rest the agitation and put the Party back on track in South East.
“Also, the party in NEC should acknowledge the request/ recommendation of the South-East caucus to be considered at the next meeting, amongst other things.”
The PDP leadership has now agreed to delay any final decision until the June 30 meeting, where the South-East caucus’s recommendation for a new National Secretary will be properly considered. Until then, Anyanwu remains in office.
Despite these assurances, the crisis has left many in the party unsettled. The PDP has been experiencing internal struggles even before the 2023 general elections. Disputes involving state chapters, especially in Rivers, the South East, and the North Central regions, have made it hard for the party to present a united front. Several key members, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, have already defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
While presenting the final communiqué of the 99th NEC meeting, Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum confirmed that the South-East Zonal petition was received and would be addressed next month. He added that the NEC had also approved the formation of committees to oversee the upcoming National Convention scheduled for August 28 to 30, 2025.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, who chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum, used the platform to speak about the difficulties faced by party members. “There is no intimidation that we are not going through. There is no caressing or cajoling that members and elected governors are not going through. But certainly, we are resolute. We will not abandon the mandate,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, had also addressed the internal divisions. While recognising that many of the party’s problems are self-inflicted, he urged leaders to begin a true reconciliation process.
He said, “As the party of the people, we must recommit to healing these wounds and restoring faith among our members. As chairman of the Board of Trustees, the conscience of the party, I call on all of us leaders, elders, youths, and stakeholders to embrace reconciliation, not just as a political tactic, but as a moral imperative. We must open our hearts to forgive, to dialogue, and to debate.
“No ambition, no grievance, and no misunderstanding should ever be allowed to override the collective interests of our party and the hopes of the Nigerian people who are yearning for our return to national leadership.
“Let us initiate a genuine and structural reconciliation process led by respected elders that reaches down to the grassroots and extends a hand of peace to all aggrieved members, both old and new.
“Our doors must remain wide open to fresh ideas, open to new members, open to all Nigerians who believe in justice, equity, and good governance.
“Let this 99th meeting be remembered as a turning point, a moment where we chose unity over division, hope over despair, and service over self-interest. Let us go back to the grassroots with a renewed spirit, a clear purpose, and a firm resolve to reclaim our place as the party that not only knows Nigeria but truly loves Nigeria.”
