Politics
Tension As Makinde Fights On To Rescue PDP From Wike In Today’s NEC meeting today
Credible sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the issue said that rival factions were actively mobilising and preparing to attend the separate meetings.
A reliable party source, said the Board of Trustees was also scheduled to meet today amid the ongoing turmoil.
Our correspondent gathered that on Sunday afternoon in Wadata, acting National Chairman Umar Damagum; 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 members of the National Working Committee met and reaffirmed their position that an expanded National Caucus meeting should be held instead of the NEC.
In response on Sunday evening in Wadata Plaza, majority of the NWC members, including Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja, National Vice Chairman (South East), Ali Odefa; South East Caretaker Chairman, Emmanuel Ogidi; National Woman Leader, Amina Darasimi; acting National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo; National Auditor, Okechukwu Obiechin; National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba; National Financial Secretary, Woyengikuro Daniel; and National Vice Chairman (South West), Ajisafe Toyese insisted that the NEC meeting would go ahead today with Koshoedo remaining as acting National Secretary.
The camps of Governor Seyi Makinde (Oyo) — which includes Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), 11 members of the National Working Committee and other senior party figures, also insisted that the NEC meeting must take place today as originally scheduled. This group is also firmly against the return of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
On the opposing side, camp of former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike — including Governors Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Adamu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) — are advocating for Anyanwu’s reinstatement and for the NEC meeting to be postponed.
The PDP has continued to grapple with internal discord since its loss of power in 2015, facing leadership battles, mass defections, and unresolved congress issues in several key states.
To stabilise the party, Koshoedo was earlier appointed as acting National Secretary.
However, a fact-finding committee, led by Taraba State Governor Kefas Agbu, revealed that INEC still officially recognised Senator Anyanwu as the legitimate holder of the office.
Following this, the 99th NEC had agreed to schedule the 100th NEC meeting for June 30, and Damagum communicated this to INEC through a letter dated May 30.
INEC, however, declined the notification, stating that under PDP’s internal procedures, such letters must be co-signed by both the National Chairman and National Secretary. INEC advised the party to comply with its constitutionally mandated processes.
Amid the growing tension, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated at a press conference that INEC’s role was limited to receiving party notifications and not interfering in internal affairs.
However, Damagum distanced the party from Ologunagba’s remarks, labeling them as personal views lacking broader consultation and describing them as premature and regrettable.
This deepening rift became more evident just a day after Damagum led a delegation of party leaders to a high-level fact-finding meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja.
Speaking at a press conference on June 25 at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Damagum announced the reinstatement of Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary and the postponement of the party’s 100th NEC meeting.
He described the move as a tough but necessary decision backed by the majority of party stakeholders, adding thay Expanded National Caucus will hold June 30th.
Accompanied by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and other top party figures, Damagum announced that an expanded National Caucus meeting would now be held on June 30, replacing the earlier scheduled NEC meeting.
Meanwhile, six deputy national officers of the PDP — Timothy Osadolor (Deputy National Youth Leader), Ibrahim Abdullahi (Deputy National Publicity Secretary), Okechukwu Osuoha (Deputy National Legal Adviser), Hajia Maryam (Deputy National Woman Leader), Adamu Kamale (Deputy National Financial Secretary), and Chubby Eneh (Deputy National Treasurer) — endorsed Anyanwu’s return.
In a statement released June 25 they hailed his reinstatement as a victory for the party and affirmed their support for the June 30 National Caucus meeting.
In response, 11 out of 18 NWC members rejected Anyanwu’s reinstatement and reiterated their commitment to holding the NEC meeting on June 30 as scheduled.
However, the 11 NWC members opposed to Anyanwu, in a separate statement on Wednesday, stood their ground, insisting that the NEC meeting would proceed as initially planned on June 30.
The NWC 11 stated, “Furthermore, the claim by Amb. Damagum that Sen. Samuel Anyanwu has been asked to resume office as the National Secretary of the Party is therefore misleading being contrary to the resolution of NEC.
“In the light of the foregoing, the 100th NEC meeting as scheduled for Monday, 30th June, 2025, has not been cancelled or postponed.”
A top party source noted that majority of the NWC members and other critical stakeholders have made preparations to have the 1OOth NEC today as scheduled.
The source, who belongs to Makinde’s camp, stated, “It is a matter of survival for the major opposition party in Nigeria. PDP is bigger than any individual, and the most supreme organ of the party after the National Convention is NEC. And the 99th NEC on May 27 scheduled the 100th NEC for June 30.
“As we speak, we have printed all necessary documents needed for accreditation. We have made all necessary preparations to ensure that tomorrow’s NEC meeting will be a success.
“We understand some people are making efforts to stall it, but we are ready to uphold our party’s constitution and ensure that the party survives, so no matter what we are ready.
“So, in line with the 99th NEC schedule, we have sent out reminders and invitations to our people for the PDP 100th NEC. And only NEC members will be allowed access to the venue. Every other issue will be resolved there.”
Addressing a press conference on Sunday night, PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Arapaja, flanked by other NWC members, insisted that the 100th NEC would hold today.
He stated, “We have called you to, through you, further update all members of the PDP and the general public on the activities of the Party especially with regard to the 100th meeting of the NEC statutorily scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, 30th June, 2025 and the National Convention scheduled for Thursday 28th to Saturday, 30th August, 2025.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NWC assures all party members that the 100th NEC meeting will proceed as scheduled tomorrow Monday, 30th June, 2025 (today) at the NEC Hall of the Wadata Plaza, PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.
“The 100th NEC meeting will among other things receive updates on the activities of the Zoning Committee and the National Convention Organizing Committee.
“As you are aware, the 100th meeting was unanimously scheduled by NEC at its 99th meeting held on Tuesday, 27th May, 2025.
“By virtue of Section 31(3) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) the Monday, 30th June, 2025 date for the 100th NEC meeting is binding on all Organs and members, and as such no Organ, group or officer of the Party has the power to alter, change, vary, veto or convert the already convened NEC meeting.
“Contrary to a purported notice being circulated on social media suggesting that the 100th NEC meeting has been converted to a Special Expanded National Caucus meeting, the NWC states in clear terms that the said notice did not emanate from the PDP and should be disregarded.”
Arapaja stressed that the PDP Constitution and party guidelines contained no provision for an Expanded National Caucus.
He added, “For the avoidance of doubt, Section 30 of the Constitution of the PDP is unambiguous in providing for a National Caucus for the Party with its composition, functions and meetings clearly spelt out, leaving no room for any form of expansion.
“The suggestion, proposal or announcement for a ‘Special Expanded National Caucus meeting’ is therefore unconstitutional and cannot take any decision for the PDP being not a recognised organ or body in the PDP.
“The PDP is a political party build on the foundation and pedestal of strict adherence to the Rule of Law, guided by the due process of our party Constitution and the ethos of internal democracy, which values must be protected and preserved at all time.
“The NWC acknowledges the support and solidarity of the members of the PDP and reassures that the 100th NEC meeting and the National Convention will go on as scheduled by NEC.”
Meanwhile, multiple sources from Wike’s camp insisted that today’s meeting was a National Caucus meeting, not a NEC session.
One of the sources stated, “The meeting tomorrow (today) is the National Caucus and not the NEC meeting. The acting National Chairman announced this last week after the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary.
“So, individuals cannot force the party to hold NEC when it could lead to crisis and even personal confrontation. But we will not allow that to happen; we will hold the expanded National Caucus meeting tomorrow.”
In a related development, Anyanwu stated in a notice on Sunday that participation in the expanded National Caucus meeting would be strictly by invitation only.
The invitation read in part, “The National Working Committee of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, wishes to inform and invite the following stakeholders to a Special Expanded National Caucus Meeting of our party scheduled to hold as follows:
“Date: Monday, June 30th, 2025, Venue: National Secretariat (NEC Hall), Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja FCT, Time: 2:00pm
“Invited guest are: Statutory Members of National Caucus, Deputy National Officers, BoT members, all state Ccairmen, all members of PDP NASS Caucus, former NWC members (still in the party), National Ex-Officio Members, all PDP former Governors (still in the Party), all immediate past gubernatorial candidates (still in the party).”
Leaders’ divergent views
In a related development, Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, says he stands by the position of the National Working Committee, NWC, the Board of Trustees, and South East Zonal Executive Committee, ZEC, of the PDP on the crisis rocking the party.
Mbah also expressed support for today’s NEC meeting, saying that while he was still a member of the PDP, he was “simply fed up with the shenanigans that have more or less made the party an endless circus.”
The governor, who made his position known to newsmen after a closed-door meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; and the South East Zonal Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa, among others, at the Government House, Enugu on Sunday, maintained that the position of the South East ZEC of the PDP to review its future with the party if its stand on the issue of the National Secretary was not honoured remained sacrosanct.
“For the record, just as I stated during my interactive session with Fellows and Members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu at the weekend, while I am still a member of the PDP, the South East – and that includes me – reserves the right to review our continued membership of the party if the party is unwilling to put its house in order.
“That was invariably the position adopted during our last South East Zonal meeting held here in Enugu. During that meeting, the caucus noted that the party should not disregard the zone’s stand regarding the National Secretary position.
“To all intents and purposes, this has obviously not been the case. So, there is no doubt as to where I stand on the matter.
“The position of the South East with respect to the National Secretary of the party as issued in that communique is sacrosanct,” he stated.
Other PDP chieftains at the meeting include the former National Chairman of the party and BOT member, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo; Senator Sam Egwu, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Senator Ben Obi, and Hon. Udeh-Okoye, among others.
Also, in an exclusive interview on Sunday, former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Olabode George, said regardless of the name the meeting is called, he would attend, given the need for the party to move forward.
He said, “When we get there, we will sort ourselves out. Whether they call it NEC, leg or head meeting, the most important thing is that we are meeting tomorrow (today). We will face one another and tell ourselves the truth, without rancour.
“Let us gather first, call it whatever name. This is an opportunity for everyone to bare his or her mind. We will all be there and I believe a decision on the way forward will be taken.
“I am set. I am already at the airport. I will be there. I won’t sit down here and allow people to destroy a party that was handed over to us by the founding fathers. One thing I am certain about is that the gathering will enable us resolve the crisis in the party.”
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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