The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is at a pivotal moment, grappling with internal dissent ahead of its National Elective Convention scheduled for November 15-16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State. A powerful faction of the party, dubbed ‘eminent personalities’ and led by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has issued a six-point demand to the National Working Committee (NWC). This collective, comprising influential figures such as former Benue State Governor Dr. Samuel Ortom, ex-Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and his Enugu counterpart Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, along with National Secretary Senator Sam Anyanwu, met at Wike’s Abuja residence to articulate their conditions for the party's survival and a credible convention.

The group’s demands, presented in a communique read by Dr. Samuel Ortom, are stringent and focus on principles of equity, fairness, and inclusivity. Key among these demands are: the urgent conduct of fresh congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra states, strictly adhering to subsisting court judgments; the immediate organization of a new South East Zonal Congress; and the unequivocal respect for the outcome of the South South Congress in Calabar, which has been upheld by the courts. Furthermore, they insisted on the immediate conduct of Ekiti LGA congresses, in line with judicial pronouncements. On the matter of party offices, the stakeholders demanded that there should be no micro-zoning beyond the general zoning formula adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and, crucially, that the national chairmanship position must remain in the North Central, consistent with the zoning arrangement of the 2021 convention. The group explicitly warned that failure to comply with these resolutions would “render any purported national convention invalid, as legitimate members of the party would be disenfranchised,” emphasizing that unity cannot be built on exclusion or the neglect of judicial rulings.

In response, the PDP leadership has taken a firm stance, with the National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and the Board of Trustees (BoT) Secretary, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, all asserting that the November 2025 convention is “sacrosanct” and will proceed as planned. Speaking during the inauguration of the 119-member National Convention Organising Committee, they collectively warned that no member, regardless of their status, could hold the entire party hostage. Damagum highlighted his two years of silence and tolerance as a conscious sacrifice for the party’s stability, not a sign of weakness, despite attempts by