PDP Crisis Deepens Over Anyanwu

Following the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to recognition of Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the party appears to be deeper in crisis. Majority of the PDP leaders including state governors elected on the platform of the party prefer Sunday Ude-Okoye, a former National Youth Leader of the party.

The development is also coming a few days after the South east Committee of the PDP threatened a mass defection from the party if Anyanwu is not removed from his position.

Political analysts insist that the manner the party is able to resolve the National secretary issue will make or mar the opposition party ahead the 2027 general election.

On Monday INEC informed a fact-finding committee set up by the party, led by the Governor of Taraba state Agbu Kefas to the effect that the commission has  recognised Anyanwu as the party’s scribe.

According to sources privy to the meeting, the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC told the representatives of the PDP, which included the Governors Peter Mbah of Enugu, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state and the party’s National Legal Adviser that its decision was based on the recent ruling of the Supreme Court.

The committee had on Tuesday  communicated INEC’s position to the PDP 96^th  National Executive Council, NEC, meeting which held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The magazine reported that the PDP NEC meeting finally held yesterday after months of bickering among major players of the party, which include the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, state governors elected on the party’s platform and others interests who are trying to hold the opposition party in the jugular, using the National secretary tussle as a choke-hold.

Recall also that the minister had on Sunday insisted that Anyanwu, whom he’s supporting, remains the National Secretary, saying he will fight to the end to ensure that his ally is not improperly removed, noting that the issue is one of the agreements reached by major stakeholders, at the meeting held at the Bauchi state Government Lodge in Abuja, last month.

The magazine learned that following the report submitted to the PDP NEC, the party is now more confused than ever as to how to handle the matter, considering that “the General Secretary is the engine room of the party,” a political source familiar with the matter said.

According to the source, there’s nothing the other “faction” opposed to Wike “could do at the moment” so long INEC recognises Anywanwu, it’s either they allow his tenure to end or continue to fight, which as it’s cannot take the party anywhere.”

Anyanwu’s tenure is expected to end by November this year, but a National Convention is expected to hold around August, to elect new Executives, closes sources in the party said

Sources in the party told the magazine that the party had expected that the meeting with INEC on Monday would turn out positively and in favour of those who wanted Anyanwu out. But the anti Wike/ Anyanwu were disappointed when the commission affirmed the former PDP Governorship candidate in Imo state as the authentic National secretary of the party.

“it was on the basis of the outcome from INEC that the party postponed its meeting to June” to enable more time on how to resolve the issue, another source informed the magazine.

The magazine reports that the PDP South east Zonal Committee of the party  had a fortnight ago issued a communique threatening to leave the party if Anyanwu remained the scribe instead of Ude Okoye, which the zone has nominated to the position.

The Southeast PDP zonal executive committee had in a communique handed over to Taofeek Arapaja, the Deputy Chairman South, by its leader Senator Osita Ngwu after a meeting in Enugu threatened a mass pull out from the party if their choice of Ude-Okoye is rejected.

Below, a portion of the communique:

“Mr. Chairman, on the 14th of May, 2025, the Southeast Zonal Executive Committee met at Enugu State Government House and a forum was fully formed. 

“After the meeting, a committee was raised and the reason why we visited here today is to make a presentation of the communique that was issued at the end of the meeting.

‘’Mr. Chairman, if you recall, on March 31st, 2025, the Supreme Court, which is the apex court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, brought to a closure the protracted issue surrounding the puzzle of the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“Following that judgment of the Supreme Court, the PDP Governors’ Forum also met in Oyo State on the 14th of April, 2025, and passed a resolution. You can also recall that here, at the National Office on April 29th, the National Working Committee met and adopted that resolution of the governor’s forum. 

“And what is that resolution? The resolution is that the South East Zonal Executive Committee should meet and nominate a candidate that will fill in the position of the National Secretary. Mr. Chairman, I need to remind us, or make it clear, that the position of the South East on this issue has always been to find a pathway to a lasting resolution of the impacts and crisis in the PDP. 

“And also, in all intent and purpose, to ensure that this party continues to progress well. We are looking for a lasting peace so that we can perform better in the upcoming and subsequent election. 

‘’Mr. Chairman, from our communique, which is in this report that I am going to hand over to you, and in the meeting that was recently held by the South East Executive Committee of the party at the Zonal Office, we unanimously agreed and nominated the former youth leader of the party, Rt. Honorable S.K. Ude-Okoye, to be our nominee for the position of the National Secretary of our great party, the PDP.

‘’Mr. Chairman, we are going to give you this report, and our prayers and our urge and our appeal is that this party should carefully look through even other precedents that have been set in replacement of National Working Committee members or other officers of the committee of the PDP that has been done. We are not trying to set a precedent. We are not trying to do a new thing because precedent has been set.’

‘’We are asking you to look at a zone, who has been the backdrop and backbone of the PDP, a zone who has delivered all the National Assembly members, all governors to the PDP in the past, a zone that is eager to redeem its past glory. We are praying that the request of this zone should not be jeopardized. Let us look at it based on the point of its merits.

‘’Let it be a stepping stone in our urge and our drive to reposition our party. We are not here to make another request, but we are speaking to our consciences so that whatever decision that is taken at the end should be for the interest of the party and a position that is going to support us, a position that is going to lift the morale of the members of this great party towards a sustainable growth and a path of recovery.’’