As factions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretaryship dispute harden their positions, the party leadership yesterday in Abuja advised the Ali Odefa-led South-East Zonal Caucus to withdraw its threat to quit if its nominee for National Secretary, Sunday Ude-Okoye, is rejected.

Rising from a meeting in Enugu last Wednesday, the Ali Odefa-led caucus stated: “We hope that this time around, the position of the South-East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves.

“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the party, the South-East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” it added.

Receiving the report of last Wednesday’s meeting of the caucus in Abuja, the NWC, presided over by the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, made it clear that the recommendations would be considered and presented to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), scheduled to hold on May 27, 2025.

Damagum, who was represented by PDP Deputy Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, stated: “This resolution will be discussed at the end of the day, during our next meeting. We will decide on the way forward, and that decision will be forwarded to the NEC, which I am quite sure you know is fast approaching. We will look at it, we will do justice to it, we will do our best.”

Drawing attention to the threat to leave PDP, Damagum said: “But there is something that I read somewhere, but I will ask that you consider your position with the PDP. You didn’t mention it here, but I think everybody already read it. Well, I know you are not happy with the situation, and it’s inevitable in any political party, as big as it is. It’s a natural political practice. We are able to express our opinion.

“I know you are not happy, and I understand why you are not happy, but even as you are angry out there, we can find a solution. It’s like a landlord running out of his own house because the house is leaking.”

He assured that the leadership of the party would do its “best to fix the problem, and I know we can do it; together we can do it. There is a solution. This is the only party that belongs to the people. Yes, it doesn’t belong to anybody. It’s the only party where you can feel peaceful, you can express your opinion. It’s just like that in any family.

“So, I want to appeal that we can do it. We can resolve it. And I know we will resolve it. And I know, and I’m quite sure, that PDP will overcome. As I said, the resolution will be thoroughly discussed. We’ll do our best, and as you know, NEC has the final say.”

Earlier, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, who presented the resolution, said the South-East Caucus was unanimous in the nomination of former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye for the position of PDP National Secretary.

Meanwhile, the Senator Sam Anyanwu faction of the PDP has insisted that the position of the secretary of the party is not vacant because Anyanwu remains the secretary.

Presided over by Chidiebere Egwu, who had earlier been elected by the camp as the substantive National Vice Chairman (South-East) of PDP, the meeting in a communiqué stated: “The Supreme Court has settled, with finality, the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, and it is on record that INEC has, rightly, given effect to the said judgment, which is the right thing to do.

“We hereby serve a note of advice that, in the administration of the PDP, it is impossible to ignore the lawful status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP, and any attempt to stand against this clear position of the law will cause irreversible political damages because INEC would not give effect to the outcome of conventions, congresses, and primary elections that do not have the signature of the lawful National Secretary,” it insisted.

“In the same breath, it is important to stress that the Deputy National Secretary can only act in the absence of the National Secretary, as evident in the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party. The clear and express provision of the PDP Constitution is that the offices of the National Secretary and Deputy National Secretary are not conjunctive. Accordingly, the pathway of directing the Deputy National Secretary to act in a situation where the National Secretary is not absent is an endorsement of illegality, which cannot stand legal scrutiny.”

The PDP’s internal conflict intensified in December 2024 when the South-East Zonal Caucus and a lower court recognised former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.

While PDP governors, the Board of Trustees, and the National Working Committee accepted the decision, Anyanwu contested it at the Supreme Court. However, on March 21, the court set aside the decision of the appeal court.

The Anyanwu camp declared that the recommendation and threat by the Ali Odefa camp should be ignored because the said meeting was not a lawful meeting of any organ of the PDP. It claimed that “Dr Chief Ali Odefa had, several months ago, ceased to be a member of the PDP following his expulsion by his ward, a state of affairs that was given judicial confirmation in a final judgment of the 26th day of January, 2025, by the Federal High Court, Holden at Abakaliki, in Suit No. FHC/AI/227/2024: Hon. Idika Moses Eze & 3 Ords v. Chief Ali Odefa & 2 Ords.

“The Zonal Congress being touted by Ali Odefa, which purportedly held on the 26th day of February, 2025, was not the Zonal Congress of the PDP,” it stressed.
Udenwa blames APC for internal crisis, dismisses defections to ruling party
Former Imo State governor, Achike Udenwa, has alleged that the All Progressives Congress is involved in the crisis affecting the Peoples Democratic Party. He also dismissed speculations that aggrieved PDP members from the South-East might defect to the APC, maintaining that the PDP remains the preferred choice for Nigerians despite its internal challenges.

Speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show yesterday, Udenwa said, “The issue of APC is ruled out. What is happening to us today in PDP, APC has a hand in it. And I don’t blame APC. They are exploiting the situation we are having and using certain people within our fold. At the same time, APC can hardly be a destination for the South-East caucus.”

Defending the position of the South-East caucus in the ongoing disputes, Udenwa argued that Senator Samuel Anyanwu effectively vacated his role as PDP National Secretary when he declared his intention to contest for the Imo State governorship. He revealed that the South-East zone, which is constitutionally responsible for producing the National Secretary, had nominated a replacement three times, but their proposals were rejected.

“We have done that about three times now. If our presentation is being turned down, it means nobody wants us to make a presentation again,” Udenwa said.

He stressed the authority of the South-East caucus within the PDP, adding, “We have made our position very clear. I don’t believe that whatever forces are behind Anyanwu are a stronger force than the South-East caucus because the South-East caucus is an established zone within the party. If that caucus takes a decision, that decision is binding. And our recommendation to the national cannot be thrown away.”

Responding to suggestions that former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike’s influence within the PDP might be responsible for the resistance against the South-East caucus, Udenwa dismissed the claims.

“Wike is a member of the party, NEC, and a former governor in the party. That is as far as his own power goes. I don’t know what extra powers he has. But whatever such powers may be, they can never equate to a zonal caucus of the party,” he said.

Udenwa also criticised what he described as “amphibious brigade” members—PDP members who flout party rules while retaining their membership. He warned that any breach of party discipline would be addressed, affirming the disciplinary committee’s resolve to enforce the party’s constitution and sanction offenders.

Despite the current internal crisis, Udenwa expressed confidence in the PDP’s resilience. “This party was formed in 1998. A lot of people who are now pulling weight or trying to drag the party down were not there when it was formed; they were just joiners. The party has withstood all the problems we have had in the past, and we are going to withstand this present problem,” he said.

Amid perceptions that the Peoples Democratic Party is in crisis and may not recover before the 2027 general elections, the “ghost” of the party remains stronger than most other political parties in Nigeria, former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has said.

He called on all aggrieved factions within the PDP to sheathe their swords and await the outcome of the reconciliation committee led by former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.

Ikpeazu expressed these views during a South-East PDP stakeholders’ meeting, emphasising the need for unity among party leaders in the region.

“Even in what some may call its weakest moment, the ghost of the PDP is stronger than most political parties in this country. That’s why we must be careful not to destroy what we have built over the years. We should close ranks, respect constituted authority, and allow peace to reign,” Ikpeazu said.

The Saraki-led reconciliation committee was constituted by serving and former PDP governors to foster peace and ensure a rancour-free National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Convention.

Ikpeazu also appealed to aggrieved members of the PDP in the South-East to allow the National Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to remain in office until his tenure expires in December.

“Is there anything we have asked Senator Anyanwu to do as the National Secretary of the PDP in the South-East that he has not done? I want to appeal to our leaders in the zone to allow him to finish his tenure, which ends in December. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted as a party, no matter the provocation,” the former governor said.

Also yesterday, the PDP caucus in the Senate expressed confidence that the Abubakar Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation committee would be successful in attracting peace and unity to the party before the 2027 general election.

The caucus, which was led to a press conference by the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, also expressed support for political coalitions but advised that such moves be led by the party, not individuals.

The Senate caucus of the PDP stated that it is not averse to the idea and ideals of coalitions.

“The caucus observes that the synthesisation of ideas and creating a harmony of ideals will further the beauty of democracy. However, the caucus advises that any such coalition should be driven by political parties and not individuals.”

According to the caucus, “As the biggest of all the opposition parties, the PDP’s umbrella is big enough to accommodate all persons desirous of coalition. The Peoples Democratic Party, therefore, should drive the coalition if and when it becomes necessary.”

On the need for peace in the party, the Senate PDP caucus observed that the current conflicts in the PDP are not unique to the party, as all the other parties, such as the All Progressives Congress, the Labour Party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, and the Social Democratic Party, have their own shares of crises and conflicts.

“The Senate Caucus of the PDP, therefore, urges all our teeming members to remain resolute in their commitment, dedication, and loyalty to the party. The caucus believes that the series of activities lined up by the leadership of the party will throw up a new lease of life and leadership in the party that will make it competitive in future elections,” Moro said.

Meanwhile, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Ugochukwu Taiwo Okeke, has said that the party’s greatest secret to survival lies in zoning the 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria.

He disclosed that the party has learnt from its past mistakes and is determined to play politics of integrity and respect for norms and processes, adding that the emphasis should be on healing rather than pandering to primordial interests.

“We have not lost track of where we are coming from. We are about the oldest political party in the current Fourth Republic. So, that pedigree confers some leadership burden on us to do things right at all times,” he declared.

Reacting to insinuations that the party was prepared to cede the presidential ticket to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Okeke, who was a former gubernatorial aspirant in Anambra State, said it sounds shameful that such a topic could arise at this point in the party’s challenges.

He said: “My take is that the PDP must have to zone its presidential ticket to the South, preferably South-East, for it to survive the current life-threatening challenges.

“It is obvious that the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has not demonstrated leadership. I do not know if others see it as such, but that is my candid opinion. We should not be talking about an Atiku candidacy after two previous trials.

“If you can remember, after 2007, state governors in the All Nigeria Peoples Party had to tell former President Muhammadu Buhari that enough was enough and he should give room for younger ones.

“This time is not about persons or who will win the election but about doing the right thing to save PDP so that the party can regain its national stature as a national movement. This is my personal opinion, and I believe Nigerians are thinking in the same direction.”

The BoT member disclosed that a variety of ideas and perspectives should be allowed in the running of political parties so that Nigeria would begin to reap the enduring fruits of democracy.

“I run an engineering firm, but when issues of technical competence arise, I refer them to the professionals, the experts. In the same token, politics and governance should emphasise aptitude and competence. People with the right knowledge should be allowed to carry out specific tasks,” he stated.

Okeke remarked that it would promote better leadership recruitment for the electorate to have candidates from the South to choose from, saying that politicians should begin to give serious thought to national cohesion and harmony.

He said: “We made the mistake of allowing a northern candidate to fly the PDP flag in 2023, when another northerner was just rounding off an eight-year tenure in the Presidency.

“Nigerians are watching us; we need to start showing good examples and doing the right things. Love, fairness, equity, and justice should form the bedrock of a truly strong and prosperous nation.”