The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has affirmed Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary, ending months of internal conflict that threatened the stability of Nigeria’s main opposition party.
PDP Acting National Chairperson Umar Damagun disclosed this while addressing journalists after the 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was held behind closed doors at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Mr Damagun stated that the NEC meeting had one item on the agenda: resolving the leadership dispute over the national secretary position in line with the PDP’s consultations with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“As you can see, we just rose from our 100th NEC meeting. This meeting was a one-agenda meeting, which was to discuss the outcome of our interaction with INEC as regards the national secretary. We’ve all converged, we were all together, and we all agree that Senator Anyanwu will continue to act as national secretary,” he said.
The decision came less than one week after PDP leaders met with INEC leadership to resolve the party’s signature crisis.
INEC Chairperson Mahmood Yakubu had raised concerns over conflicting correspondences from the PDP regarding the rightful national secretary, citing inconsistencies in submissions that listed Sunday Udeh-Okoye, Mr Anyanwu, and later Setonji Koshoedo as the secretary.
INEC had earlier rejected a notice for the NEC meeting due to non-compliance with Part 2(12)(3) of the 2022 INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, which mandates that the national chairperson and secretary must jointly sign such notices.
After the resolution, Mr Damagun said the party would now comply fully with INEC’s requirements, including co-signing notices for party meetings.
He said the meeting was convened to also “bring the issue of Convention up in the next NEC, which is slated for 23rd of next month. At that time, we’ll be able to convene a proper NEC, where myself and Senator Anyanwu will sign, which is to fulfil the regulatory need of INEC in convening meetings.”
The leadership crisis over the national secretary position dates back to 2023 when Mr Anyanwu emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate in Imo State. His candidacy generated internal debate over whether he could retain his role as national secretary while running for office.
While Mr Anyanwu insisted on retaining his position as national secretary despite contesting for office, the South-east chapter of the party and some members of the NWC backed Mr Udeh-Okoye as his replacement.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled that Mr Anyanwu had vacated his seat upon picking the governorship ticket, declaring Mr Ude-Okoye the rightful national secretary.
However, Mr Anyanwu appealed the decision at the Supreme Court and filed a motion for a stay of execution.
Amid the crisis, the PDP appointed Mr Koshoedo as acting national secretary to prevent a leadership vacuum and manage the controversy. Nevertheless, the internal disagreement remained unresolved, affecting the party’s compliance with INEC regulations requiring a co-signed NEC notice.
This is the second time the PDP will declare Mr Anyanwu as the party’s legitimate national secretary.
Mr Damagun initially announced his reinstatement on 25 June, shortly after a meeting between the party leadership and INEC. However, some party members opposed the decision.
NEC meeting free of rancour
Mr Damagun also took a swipe at critics who predicted chaos or a possible implosion of the party over the crisis.
“So, to our detractors who thought this meeting would be rancorous and also maybe the end of the party. The beauty of the Peoples Democratic Party is that it is the only party in this country that knows the mechanism to solve its own problem rancour-free.
“As you can see, all our governors have attended the meeting, and all members of NWC were on the same page. You will not be seeing all these press releases and counter-press releases.”
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