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Tension is mounting in the factional camps of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as more than 3,000 delegates prepare to converge on the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State for the party’s national elective convention.
The event, billed for November 15 and 16, 2025, has been a subject of controversy among the two warring camps in the party, reports The PUNCH.
On one hand is the National Working Committee led by the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, which enjoys the support of the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees, and the Forum of State Chairmen, among others.
Though outnumbered by the Damagum-led camp, the faction led by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, is wielding tremendous influence, having elected its own chairman, daring the governors to their faces.
Penultimate Friday, Justice James Omotosho delivered a ruling restraining the leadership of the party from going ahead with the planned convention. It also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from monitoring it, arguing that the PDP failed to comply with its own rules, which require certain designated officers to notify INEC of the convention.
Following the ruling, the Damagum-led NWC suspended the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade and the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature for a period of one month for alleged anti-party activities.
Twenty-four hours later, Anyanwu and his camp met in Abuja and announced the suspension of Damagum and the entire NWC.
The faction also named the PDP Deputy National Vice Chairman (North Central), Abdulrahman Mohammed, as the party’s new acting National Chairman.
As the two camps square up against each other, the Damagum-led faction secured an ex parte order granted by Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court last week, directing the PDP to proceed with the convention.
Thus, while Damagum, backed by the governors, BoT members, and state chairmen, are preparing for the convention, Wike, Anyanwu and others insist the convention would not hold.
Speaking with our correspondent yesterday, an official at the PDP secretariat with knowledge of the crisis, said more than 3,000 delegates would gather in Ibadan to elect new leaders for the party.
He said, “More than 3,000 delegates are participating, and don’t forget that there are super delegates and elected delegates.
“Super delegates are former this and former that, and the PDP has many of them in every state of the federation.
“When you hear people whose only interest is to destroy the party saying that congresses were not conducted in some states and so those states are disenfranchised, it’s all lies because we still have many former members of this and that in those states.”
The source, who is aligned with the Damagum-led group, said the convention would hold because Justice Akintola’s order is the most current of the two conflicting court rulings.
He added, “There are two court orders from courts of concurrent jurisdiction. In law, the party is at liberty to choose which of the orders to obey, while other lawyers say the last order (or the most current) is the most valid since it’s from a concurrent court.”
He noted that Anyanwu, having been suspended by the leadership of the party, should be seen as leading a renegade group, adding, “Anybody paying attention to the group is doing so for political reasons.
“In line with the constitution of the PDP, the NWC meeting is at the instance of the National Chairman, and the National Chairman in this case is Umar Damagum.
“In view of the above, 14 out of 17 remaining members of the NWC met on November 1, 2025, and suspended Anyanwu, Bature, Ajibade, and the Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Onuoha.
“By our laws, the deputies are not NWC members except the Deputy National Secretary. So, three members out of 17 cannot form a quorum to make a decision. Moreover, those three members are even suspended, and with their suspension, they lose every right to participate in party meetings.”
He urged the media to stop referring to the Wike-backed group as a faction, noting that to form one, “It must occur during a valid national convention of the party. The members must break out at the convention ground in the same venue and date, and not what Wike and his destroyers-in-chief are doing. By law, there is no faction in the party.”
Also speaking, another official of the party with knowledge of the matter, said the outcome of a series of meetings during the week would point the way forward for the party.
He said, “I can’t be categorical on the situation of things now, given that there are certain committees handling reconciliations amongst the contending groups, and one cannot predict the outcomes from such ongoing dialogues.
“Consequently, I believe that on or before Wednesday this week, we will all know what’s going on and the way forward from the leaders concerning the convention.”
He, however, stated that the convention would go a long way in repositioning the PDP.
“As a loyal party member and an official, the PDP surely needs the existing NWC to conduct a good national convention that will usher in a new set of NWC members to avoid further disruption of things in the party,” he added.
Anyanwu boasts
Meanwhile, Senator Anyanwu has declared emphatically that the Ibadan convention would not hold. He added that if some party leaders went ahead with it, INEC would not monitor it.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Anyanwu said, “The convention, if it holds, will amount to a contempt of court. Whoever is organising it will cause a problem for the party.
“Even if a governor organises it, it will be a nullity. The law has spoken and of course, INEC will not recognise it. I am the National Secretary of the party. There must be communication with INEC within 21 days for a convention to take place. This has not been complied with.”
On his part, former Governor of Kaduna State and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Ahmed Makarfi, said only the Damagum-led NWC could clear the air on the status of the convention.
“Only the NWC can speak on that (convention holding or not) and provide the information,” Makarfi told our correspondent in a WhatsApp message on Sunday.
‘Makinde aiding crisis’
A member of the Wike-led group and Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, accused Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, of aiding the crisis in the party because of his rumoured 2027 presidential ambition.
While insisting that any convention without reconciliation of the aggrieved party members would further fracture the PDP, Osadolor urged Makinde to put the party first before his personal ambition.
He said, “How can they even be talking about a presidential candidate from the South West when the one we want to kick out is from the South West? Governor Makinde should help this party by folding his presidential ambition in his pocket and join other leaders to rebuild the PDP.
“It is both laughable and mischievous for some people to be talking about convention in Ibadan as PDP members. Whatever they are going to do in Ibadan would be an early Christmas party organised by Governor Makinde and his friends in the PDP. It is certainly not a PDP national convention.
“Anybody who wants to talk about convention now must first talk about reconciliation in line with the judgment of Justice James Omotosho, which asked us to put our house in order. That ruling not only exposed our failing as a party but also directed us to back to our books and rules. If you cannot follow your own rules, how can you convince the voting public that you will abide by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)? It is arrogance for the PDP governors to be talking about a convention in Ibadan.”
Reminded that a chieftain of the party, Bode George, last week stated that Anyanwu lacked the powers to suspend Damagum, having been suspended himself, Osadolor added, “Bode George is over 80. He is no longer conversant with some of these things we are talking about. He should learn to expand this conversation more and not be partisan.
“He is a member of the BoT who ought to be the conscience of the party, and he should be above board. As an elder statesman and a father figure within the party, I expect Bode George to be playing a reconciliatory role now. He should not take sides. The house is divided, and as a good father, it is wrong to have a favourite child,” he said.
If the right thing is not done, Osadolor warned that the PDP may have itself to blame.
“Whether we like it or not, we are playing into an interregnum, which may lead to an automatic extension of the NWC led by Abdulrahman Mohammed or the party may have no leadership.
“The Mohammed-led leadership is focused on rescuing this party from saboteurs, men who are consumed by their presidential ambition. They forget that there must be a party first before one can contest an election to any office in the land.”
He rejected insinuations in some quarters that Wike was intentionally weakening the PDP to pave the way for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“Is it Wike that has fixed an early Christmas party in Ibadan? Is it the FCT minister who is going about suspending leaders of the party? Is it Wike who said congresses should not hold in Anambra and Ebonyi States?
“Is he the one who said zonal congresses of the South East should not be held? You see, when you want to kill a dog, you first give it a bad name. Nobody should come here and vilify Wike. He is not the problem of the party,” Osadolor said.
