By Vincent Egunyanga, Abuja
After prolonged internal strife, conflicting directives, and factional tensions, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has finally reinstated Senator Samuel Anyanwu as its substantive National Secretary.
This decision was reached at the party’s milestone 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Monday in Abuja.
Addressing journalists after the closed-door session, the party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, confirmed that the NEC unanimously approved Anyanwu’s return to his position, thereby bringing an end to the prolonged controversy that had thrown the party into a leadership limbo.
The dispute had seen the PDP issue multiple communications to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), each recognising a different individual, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, Setonji Koshoedo, and Anyanwu, as National Secretary.
INEC, in turn, warned the PDP about procedural lapses and advised it to resolve the matter by its constitution.
The resolution followed intense negotiations involving PDP governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), party elders, and INEC officials.
With Anyanwu’s reinstatement, the party now looks to consolidate its ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Damagum also disclosed that the 101st NEC meeting has been slated for July 23, where critical decisions concerning the party’s upcoming national convention and broader restructuring will be finalised.
However, Monday’s NEC breakthrough came amid fresh drama at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.
In a surprising turn of events, armed police officers blocked members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) from accessing Wadata Plaza, where they were scheduled to hold a meeting ahead of the NEC session.
Prominent BoT figures such as Chief Bode George, former Ebonyi State Governor Sam Egwu, and former National Secretary Senator Umar Tsauri were among those denied entry.
According to reports, a police Divisional Officer stated that the action was “on orders from above.”
Condemning the incident, Bode George described the move as an affront to democratic norms and reminiscent of Nigeria’s political instability during the First Republic.
“You cannot militarise a political party. We are not North Korea,” he said while questioning the legality of the police blockade in the absence of any court order.
The BoT eventually relocated their meeting to the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, signalling a further deepening of mistrust between key stakeholders and the current leadership.
This disruption comes in the wake of allegations by the BoT, led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, accusing the Acting Chairman, Damagum, of unilaterally cancelling critical party meetings and overstepping his constitutional powers.
While Monday’s NEC decision marks a turning point for the PDP, the events surrounding it underscore the lingering factional fault lines that could threaten the party’s unity and preparedness for future elections.
As attention shifts to the July NEC and national convention, many hope the “calm after the storm” endures—and is not a brief pause before fresh turbulence.
