Barring any last minute change of plans, the National Working Committee, (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is expected to meet today at the party headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

The meeting even though the regular gathering of the National Working Committee, is expected to take some far reaching decisions in view of the prevailing situation in the party.

Also, the meeting is coming on the heels of the defection of the party’s former Vice Presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, alongside Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other key party members, who were formally received to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday. This is one of the largest defections the PDP has faced in recent years.

In addition to the situation in Delta, there has been an increasing exodus of high-profile members from the party, a result of the ongoing leadership crisis within the PDP.

Agenda for today’s meeting

Reliable sources have informed Daily Trust that today’s meeting will discuss, and possibly confirm, the proposed May 27th date for the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. The NEC session, which has been postponed multiple times, is now slated for that date following a resolution by the PDP Governors Forum.

During their most recent meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, the governors decided to collaborate with the NWC and other relevant organs of the party to ensure the NEC meeting takes place on 27th May, 2025.

Another key issue on the agenda is the leadership vacuum in Delta State following the departure of key party figures. Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum has proposed the establishment of a caretaker committee to continue managing the party’s affairs in the state.

Speaking at the party headquarters last Thursday during the presentation of a certificate of return to Ezenwafor Jude, the PDP’s candidate for the upcoming Anambra State governorship election, Damagum said: “We will immediately take over our structures by setting up a caretaker committee. We are still taking stock, but this will be done promptly. I also want to remind our members in Delta and across the country about what happened in 2023. Obi had no governor but still managed to gather significant votes, which impacted the ordinary man’s livelihood. The decision is ultimately in their hands. This election is between the APC and the people.”

Ongoing controversy over national secretaryship

Despite a Supreme Court ruling on the matter, controversy continues over the position of National Secretary within the PDP. Senator Samuel Anyanwu maintains he is still the party’s National Secretary, while the governors have appointed Setonji Koshoedo, the Deputy National Secretary, as acting Secretary.

At the last meeting in Ibadan, the governors reiterated that the court had granted the party the authority to appoint its leaders and instructed the South-East Caucus to nominate a candidate for the position, which would then be ratified by the NEC before assuming office.

The governors had earlier approved Koshoedo as acting National Secretary. Damagum, a known ally of Anyanwu, has instructed the National Secretariat staff to recognise Koshoedo as acting Secretary and provide the necessary support.

A memo signed by Alhaji Gurama Bawa, Head of Administration for the acting Chairman, clarified this decision, stating that Koshoedo would remain as Acting National Secretary “until further notice.”

The memo further directed all party correspondences to be sent to Koshoedo and asked staff to cooperate fully with him in his temporary capacity.

PDP will reorganise, says Osadolor

Timothy Osadolor, a prominent PDP chieftain, told Daily Trust that the party is working to restore order, urging leadership to take firm action to move the party forward.

He commented on the upcoming NWC meeting: “The party is expected to take a position on recent defections, reassess the state of the party across the country, and communicate its stance. They will also review preparations for the 2027 elections.”

Osadolor addressed the situation in Delta, saying: “When people prioritise personal comfort over integrity and national interests, this is the outcome. The sacrifices needed for democracy to thrive must be made by all. However, this experience serves as a lesson. We will be more discerning in selecting those entrusted with leadership positions in the future.”

Despite the ongoing defections, Osadolor remains confident that the party will weather the storm. “The PDP has endured worse crises. Former vice presidents have left the party, but it did not collapse. The electorate remains our strongest ally. They have repeatedly proven their support for the PDP.”

He further suggested that those with divided loyalties should leave the party, allowing those with clear intentions to take their place. “It is essential that the party does not shy away from taking tough decisions to maintain its integrity,” he added.

Ojo calls for action among opposition parties

Political analyst, Dr Jide Ojo, also weighed in on the situation, urging opposition parties to resolve their internal issues quickly.

He stated: “If the opposition parties are to blame the APC for attracting their members, they must first acknowledge their own shortcomings. Every political party has internal conflicts, but how the PDP, Labour Party, and others manage these issues is crucial.”

Ojo pointed to the crisis within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), where internal disputes have led to the expulsion of party leader Rabiu Kwankwaso and the defection of elected members to the APC in Kano. He also noted ongoing tensions in the Labour Party, where Julius Abure continues to claim the position of chairman despite being contested by other factions.

Ojo questioned the PDP’s leadership structure, pointing out the confusion surrounding the National Secretary position. “The party has an acting National Chairman and acting National Secretary, yet they are reluctant to conduct congresses and convene a national convention. This indecision is hurting the party’s credibility.”

He suggested that many opposition parties serve as “special purpose vehicles” used to attain power without fostering lasting unity or cohesion. “Political parties must develop robust conflict resolution mechanisms if they wish to retain their members and prevent them from crossing over to the ruling party,” he argued.

Reflecting on the broader political landscape, Ojo emphasised that the tactics being employed by the APC are not new. “The PDP did the same during its 16 years in power. Any party in government will attempt to weaken the opposition by poaching its members,” he said.

Ojo also criticised Atiku Abubakar’s efforts to form a coalition, claiming that his personal ambitions are preventing the opposition from uniting. “Atiku’s desire to be the presidential candidate for any coalition he forms is the root cause of the lack of support from the party’s governors. This is why they are not backing his plans.”

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former special adviser on political matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, says he did not feel wanted by the Bola Tinubu administration.

Baba-Ahmed resigned his appointment in the presidency in March.

Speaking on ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise TV on Monday, Baba-Ahmed said he would have stayed longer if the job was solely about him.

“If it was all about me, quite possibly I would have stayed longer. But I felt I could have been a lot more useful to the country and to the administration,” he said.

“I believe also, I don’t like for this thing to sound boastful, I believe I had something to offer. Because the reason why they asked me to go there, not to sit idle and to watch a lot of things going wrong, you don’t have an opportunity to fix them.

“You don’t have an opportunity to engage the president who has all the powers to be engaged. You don’t have any channel.”

Baba-Ahmed said while he met Shettima nearly every working day, that was not enough.

“I saw the vice-president virtually every working day. We talked, we discussed the country. But Nigeria requires a lot more than talking with the vice-president,” he said.

“I think I met him, I saw him three times in the mosque in the villa and we shook hands. But I never had a chance to sit down with President Tinubu.

“I honestly don’t know. I think part of the problem is that he never really had time for people like us. I’m not sure he had time for a lot of the people working for him.”

He described the president as “genuinely isolated” and said it was either by choice or due to unknown circumstances.

“The president really is genuinely isolated, whether it’s by choice or by circumstances we don’t understand,” he said.

“The bottom line is he ought to be available to a lot more of the people that he has trusted, either to run ministries or departments or to advise him. And he isn’t. And that’s a problem for the country, not so much for him.

“But it’s a lot because the president of Nigeria is a hugely powerful person and he has massive responsibility on his shoulders.

“So if he’s not going to look for solutions to problems from people that he had appointed, there are only two options left. Is he getting advice from the wrong people? Or is he getting no advice at all?”

‘DIFFERENT WORLDS’

The former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) said people around the president seem detached from reality.

“When you hear people close to him speak about Nigeria, it’s as if we live in two different worlds,” he said.

“That is the most frustrating thing for me. We would leave the villa, we would go home. We would watch real people, and sometimes we would drive around, we’d go home, we’d see, we’d mix with the poor people.

“We knew how desperate the country is, how desperately life is, difficult life is, the insecurity level, how high it is.

“People were losing hope, asking what is the value of this democracy, and sometimes they say, ‘what are you doing there? We thought with people like you, we wouldn’t be seeing some of these things.

“At least, are you guys really advising the president about some of these things?’”

Baba-Ahmed said Nigeria would fare better if the president was more open to counsel.

“I believe if President Tinubu was more open to suggestions and advice and if he has higher quality of people handling sensitive positions for him, and he makes himself available to them, and they talk to him, and he tells them, they tell him what they think, I think the country will be better,” he added.

In an open letter to the president on April 23, Baba-Ahmed urged Tinubu to shelve his re-election bid.

“Step aside — not for your opponents, but for a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas,” he wrote.

Baba-Ahmed recently said the north would unveil its position on the 2027 presidency in the next six months.

“We know nobody will become president without the north,” he had stated.

On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja imposed a fine of N150,000 on Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for delaying the judgment related to his lawsuit challenging his impending removal.

Justice Inyang Ekwo levied the fine after Anyanwu’s attorney, Ken Njemanze, SAN, requested the court’s permission to file a motion to amend the lawsuit, despite the fact that the case was already scheduled for judgment.

Justice Ekwo scheduled a hearing for the motion on May 19 and mandated that the fine be settled before the next court date.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Justice Ekwo had set the judgment date for March 25, following the completion of arguments from both Mr. Njemanze and the defense attorneys regarding the case aimed at preventing Anyanwu’s removal as the PDP’s national secretary.

Additionally, the judge instructed Mr. Njemanze to provide the court with the Supreme Court’s ruling issued on March 21 within seven days.

NAN further reports that on March 21, the Supreme Court annulled the Court of Appeal’s decision from December 20, 2024, which had upheld Anyanwu’s removal as the PDP’s national secretary.

In a unanimous ruling by a five-member panel, the Supreme Court asserted that issues concerning the leadership and membership of political parties are internal matters and should not be subject to judicial oversight, stating that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over the initial case brought by party member Aniagwu Emmanuel.

The Supreme Court’s judgment, anticipated to resolve the ongoing crisis, has instead left the PDP’s leadership and its members in turmoil, as both Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye now claim the position of legitimate national secretary following the ruling.

In his original filing, Anyanwu had named the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Umar Damagun, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, as the first and second defendants.

In the ex-parte motion labeled FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025, submitted by Mr. Njemanze on February 13, Anyanwu sought two requests:

1. An interim injunction preventing INEC from accepting or acting on any correspondence from the PDP not signed by him until the hearing and resolution of the motion for an interlocutory injunction.
2. An interim injunction restraining Mr. Damagun from sending any correspondence purportedly from the PDP signed solely by him without Anyanwu’s countersignature.

On February 28, the court added the PDP and Mr. Udeh-Okoye as third and fourth defendants, respectively, along with Ali Odela and Setonji Koshoedo as the fifth and sixth defendants, with Odela being the national vice chairman for the PDP South-East and Koshoedo serving as the party’s deputy national secretary.

During the hearing, Mr. Njemanze acknowledged that the case was fixed for judgment but stated he had a motion to amend their original submission to clarify the issues at stake.

Justice Ekwo questioned the appropriateness of introducing an amendment on the judgment date, to which Njemanze responded by citing Order 17, Rule 1 of the Federal High Court, which grants the court discretionary power to amend processes before judgment.

The judge inquired if the defendants had been served, to which INEC’s counsel, Ahmed Mohammed, confirmed receipt but indicated they would not respond. Akintayo Balogun, representing Mr. Damagun, noted that while they had been served, the application could not be considered as the court was scheduled for judgment.

E.E. Ekere, representing Mr. Udeh-Okoye, confirmed they were served and intended to respond, while J.A. Musa, counsel for Mr. Koshoedo, asserted they had not received service. However, Mr. Njemanze maintained that all defendants had been duly served.

Consequently, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case until May 19 for the motion hearing and enforced the N150,000 fine against the plaintiff’s counsel due to the disruption of the proceedings, mandating payment before the next adjourned date.

(NAN)