.Factional groups battle for soul of party
.As Damagum’s loyalists reinstate Anyanwu as national secretary
CYRIL MBAH, Abuja Bueau Chief with agency report
The Wadata House national secretariat of the nation’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was again taken over on Monday as two factions of the party continued their endless bickering and tussle over the leadership of the party.
There were indications that the two rival groups will organise parallel meetings in the place of the scheduled National Executive Committee (NEC) planned for June 30, 2025.
However, Daily Champion observed that armed policemen and other plaincloths security personnel took over the PDP Headquarters as early as 6am and prevented both staff, NWC members and newsmen from gaining entry into the premises.
Among those locked out was Chief Bode George, a former PDP Deputy National Chairman (South West) and a prominent BoT member, who condemned the action in strong terms and accused the government of undermining democratic principles.
Speaking with journalists at the scene, Chief George warned against what he described as creeping authoritarianism, drawing comparisons to repressive regimes.
“Do you want to turn us into North Korea? Or transform this country into Russia? We will not allow it. Nigerians will not allow it,” he declared.
The PDP has been enmeshed in a power tussle centred on the controversial reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary and the planned 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
The BoT had raised concerns over what it described as unconstitutional decisions and sought to intervene through Monday’s meeting.
Asked what the next steps would be, Chief George was defiant. “Of course, we will hold the meeting today. We will hold the meeting,” he insisted.
He explained that the security personnel claimed they were acting on conflicting notices issued the previous day and were deployed to maintain law and order.
But George dismissed their justification, suggesting a more sinister motive.
“You can hear it, you know—biblically. This is the voice of Jacob, but the hand of Esau. Whoever issued the order from above, we’ve heard it before,” he said.
He called for restraint and urged the government to respect due process, warning that external interference would only worsen the crisis.
“The PDP is not a private enterprise. You don’t resolve its issues from the outside. You must sit down and talk,” he said.
George also urged the federal government to focus on the country’s mounting socio-economic challenges rather than meddling in party affairs.
“We have more pressing problems—economic, financial, educational, and infrastructural. They should focus on those,” he said.
The disruption has heightened fears over the shrinking space for opposition voices in Nigeria’s democracy. Critics argue that the use of security forces to block lawful political meetings sets a dangerous precedent and erodes democratic norms.
“Let them be very careful. Everyone must be allowed to act in accordance with the law of the land,” Chief George cautioned.
Meanwhile, a staff of the party identified as Thomas Ibu, who defied the police and entered the office was arrested and whisked away to unknown destination by the policemen.
The lingering dispute centered on whether Monday’s gathering, although scheduled but disputed should be regarded as legitimate as a NEC meeting or should be accepted as an expanded national caucus meeting.
The Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, who leads one faction, planned to convene an expanded caucus meeting at 2 pm, after reinstating embattled Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, after allegedly meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On the other hand, the National Working Committee (NWC), supported by Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Taofeek Arapaja and 11 other members, alongside the Board of Trustees (BoT), insisted that the previously scheduled 100th NEC meeting remains valid under the PDP constitution.
The crisis which has lingered for so long came to a head as a result of procedural irregularities, which was discovered and underlined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which also rejected the NEC letter because it was allegedly signed only by Umar Damagum, while the required co-signature in the person of the national secretary was omitted.
Damagum argued that INEC’s intervention gives legitimacy to Anyanwu’s reinstatement and strengthens the case for an expanded caucus meeting but this was strongly rejected by the NWC and BoT, arguing that the NEC meeting remains supreme and binding.
Similarly, the Damagum faction of the NWC has formally reinstated Senator Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary following weeks of fierce internal battles, conflicting communications, and legal ambiguity over the position.
This resolution was reached during the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Monday, June 30, 2025, in Abuja.
Announcing the decision after the meeting, Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, told journalists that the NEC had formally endorsed Anyanwu’s return to the office of National Secretary, thereby putting to rest the leadership tussle that had pitched key factions against one another.
The development follows repeated letters from the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), each bearing different names, including Sunday Udeh-Okoye, Setonji Koshoedo, and Anyanwu himself as the party’s secretary. INEC had publicly warned the party over procedural inconsistencies and urged it to resolve the matter through its internal constitution and legal processes.
Weeks of consultations between PDP governors, the National Working Committee, party elders, and INEC officials culminated in the NEC decision, which now gives the party the stability it requires ahead of its national convention.
Damagum also confirmed that the 101st NEC meeting has been scheduled for July 23, during which final decisions regarding the national convention will be made.
The party is expected to use that session to firm up its 2027 electoral strategy and possibly ratify wider leadership adjustments.
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