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| Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde and the Minister, Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike |
Firstsitenews-Tensions have reached a boiling point within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as rival factions prepare to hold parallel National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Caucus meetings in Abuja today, Monday, amid a bitter dispute over the position of National Secretary and the legitimacy of the party’s 100th NEC meeting.
Party insiders, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, confirmed that key stakeholders from opposing camps were mobilising aggressively to stage separate meetings, intensifying the crisis threatening to tear the PDP apart.
Also scheduled for today is a Board of Trustees meeting, further highlighting the scale of internal unrest.
On Sunday afternoon at the PDP national headquarters in Wadata Plaza, acting National Chairman Umar Damagum met with embattled National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), Vice Chairman (North West) Senator Bello Gwarzo, and two other National Working Committee (NWC) members. The group maintained that today’s gathering should be an expanded National Caucus meeting rather than a full NEC session.
In a swift counter-move, another group of NWC members including Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja, National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, acting National Secretary Setonji Koshoedo, and National Vice Chairmen from the South East and South West insisted that the NEC meeting would proceed as scheduled and that Koshoedo remains the acting National Secretary.
The battle lines are clearly drawn between two powerful camps:
Governor Seyi Makinde’s bloc, which includes Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), 11 NWC members, and other senior leaders, is pushing for the NEC meeting to proceed and opposes Anyanwu’s return as National Secretary.
The camp loyal to former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, which includes Governors Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Adamu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and NWC members like Damagum and Bature, supports Anyanwu’s reinstatement and wants the NEC meeting postponed.
The PDP, still reeling from its 2015 electoral loss, continues to be plagued by leadership tussles, factionalism, and unresolved congress disputes across several states.
To restore internal order, Koshoedo had been appointed acting National Secretary. However, a fact-finding committee chaired by Governor Kefas Agbu discovered that INEC still recognises Anyanwu as the substantive National Secretary.
Following this revelation, the 99th NEC had resolved to convene the 100th NEC meeting on June 30, with Damagum notifying INEC through a letter dated May 30. INEC, however, declined to acknowledge the notice, citing the need for co-signatures from both the National Chairman and National Secretary in line with PDP's constitutional procedures.
In a press briefing, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba asserted that INEC’s role was limited to acknowledging internal party communications, not regulating them. But in a sharp rebuttal, Damagum distanced the party from Ologunagba’s statement, describing it as his personal opinion and calling it “premature and regrettable.”
As the factions brace for a showdown today, the future direction of the PDP hangs in the balance.
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