The Peoples Democratic Party is on the brink. All hell is threatening to break loose today as a deep-seated crisis over party leadership and control is set to explode into the open. In an unprecedented move, two rival factions within the party are planning to hold separate, high-stakes meetings in Abuja, drawing clear battle lines in a conflict that could determine the future of Nigeria's main opposition.
It’s a power struggle in its purest form, and here are the camps.
In one corner, you have the faction loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. They are backed by a majority of the National Working Committee (11 members) and other key figures. They are adamant that the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting must proceed today as planned. They are also dead set against the return of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
In the other corner is the camp loyal to former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. This group includes the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and they are pushing back hard. They want to postpone the NEC meeting, reinstate Anyanwu, and hold what they’re calling a "Special Expanded National Caucus" meeting instead.
The heart of the chaos lies in a legal and constitutional mess. To stabilize the party, Setonji Koshoedo was appointed as acting National Secretary. But a committee later found that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still officially recognizes Senator Anyanwu, who had left the post to run for governor. When the party tried to notify INEC of the planned NEC meeting, the commission threw a major wrench in the works, refusing the notice because it wasn't co-signed by the National Secretary—Anyanwu.
This gave the Wike-Damagum camp the opening they needed. Last week, Damagum held a press conference, flanked by party heavyweights like Governor Bala Mohammed and Bukola Saraki, and announced that Anyanwu was reinstated and the NEC meeting was off. Instead, he declared, an "expanded caucus" would meet today.
But the move only threw gasoline on the fire. The Makinde-aligned faction, led by NWC members like Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja, immediately fired back. They held their own press conference, insisting the NEC meeting was not, and could not be, canceled. Arapaja slammed the idea of an "expanded caucus" as unconstitutional, a phantom body with no power to make decisions for the party.
As one source from the Makinde camp put it, "It is a matter of survival for the major opposition party in Nigeria. 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."
Even party elders are torn but determined to show up. "When we get there, we will sort ourselves out," said former BoT Chairman Olabode George. "Whether they call it NEC, leg or head meeting, the most important thing is that we are meeting tomorrow. We will face one another and tell ourselves the truth."
So, who will blink first? With both sides digging in, printing accreditation tags for separate meetings scheduled for the same day in the same city, today’s showdown at Wadata Plaza is shaping up to be more than just a meeting. It’s a battle for the soul of the PDP.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress is watching with undisguised glee. "We’re happy with what is happening in the PDP," said APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim. "For a party that cannot manage itself, it would be suicidal to allow it to manage the country. PDP is a dying party."
