The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently facing a deepening internal crisis, marked by the Board of Trustees (BoT) on Thursday rejecting the cancellation of the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was originally scheduled for June 30. This rejection comes after the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, following a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, announced the reinstatement of the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and the subsequent cancellation of the NEC meeting at a press briefing the following day.

In a strong statement, the BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, a former Senate president, vehemently described Mr. Damagum’s actions as unconstitutional and a gross violation of the PDP constitution. Mr. Wabara specifically faulted Mr. Damagum’s directive to reinstate Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary, emphasizing that it contradicts both legal precedent and established internal party resolutions. The BoT declared that these pronouncements by the Acting National Chairman were “null, void and of no effect, being inconsistent and in gross violation of the express provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).”

The PDP’s prolonged crisis has been a persistent feature since the party lost federal power in 2015, characterized by ongoing leadership disputes, numerous court battles, and widespread defections. A significant point of contention has consistently been the sensitive position of national secretary. This particular crisis originated in 2023 when Mr. Anyanwu, who was then the substantive secretary, emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for Imo State. His nomination created a leadership vacuum and sparked a contentious legal battle over whether he had vacated his office by contesting for the governorship.

While Mr. Anyanwu maintained that he retained his seat, a rival faction within the party installed Sunday Ude-Okoye as his replacement. The Court of Appeal, in a ruling delivered in December 2024, affirmed that Mr. Anyanwu had indeed forfeited his position upon accepting the governorship ticket and consequently declared Mr. Ude-Okoye as the legitimate national secretary. However, Mr. Anyanwu has since appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court and has also filed a motion for a stay of execution.

To manage the immediate impasse and prevent a complete vacuum in the crucial office, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) appointed Setonji Koshoedo as acting national secretary. Despite this, a recent committee, led by Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, announced that INEC still recognizes Mr. Anyanwu as the national secretary. Yet, at a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Damagum unilaterally announced the cancellation of the 100th NEC meeting, replacing it with a national caucus session. He also declared that Mr. Anyanwu had been officially reinstated as national secretary, asserting that his decision had the support of most party stakeholders.

This unilateral move, however, faced immediate opposition from 11 out of 19 members of the NWC, who emphatically declared that Mr. Damagum had acted without proper authority. These dissenting NWC members firmly insisted that the NEC meeting would proceed as initially scheduled on June 30. In response to this escalation, the BoT reiterated that only the NEC or the National Convention possess the authority to make such significant decisions. Mr. Wabara specifically referenced Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution, which explicitly states that NEC resolutions are binding on all members and organs of the party.

The BoT also strongly condemned Mr. Damagum’s attempt to override the NWC’s earlier resolution, which had appointed Mr. Koshoedo to act in the capacity of national secretary, describing it as a “gross abuse of office.” The BoT emphasized its constitutional role as the “conscience of the party” and vowed to actively resist any actions that could potentially plunge the PDP into further chaos. The statement concluded by asserting that the 100th NEC Meeting “must proceed as scheduled on Monday, June 30, 2025,” advising all NEC members to disregard any contradictory statements. Furthermore, it affirmed that “Arc. Setonji Koshoedo remains Acting National Secretary pending a formal decision by the appropriate organ of the party,” urging all members to uphold the supremacy of the PDP Constitution and resist attempts to destabilize the party.