Leadnaija
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to postpone its much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, March 13, as party leaders struggle to resolve ongoing leadership crises.
Sources within the party suggest that the meeting may now be held in May.
The PDP Governors’ Forum had initially agreed in January to hold the NEC meeting this month, aiming to address the party’s internal disputes, particularly the prolonged stay of Ambassador Umar Damagum as acting national chairman. However, recent developments indicate that the meeting has been pushed back again, raising further concerns about the party’s stability.
The PDP has faced internal divisions since losing power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, with fresh tensions arising over the leadership structure. The party has been unable to replace Damagum, who took over in an acting capacity following the resignation of Senator Iyorchia Ayu in 2023. Ayu, originally from the North Central region, was suspended and later stepped down after a leadership tussle in Benue State. Despite the party zoning the chairman position to the North Central, Damagum, from the North East, has remained in office, leading to growing dissatisfaction among party members.
In addition to the chairmanship issue, the PDP is also embroiled in a legal battle over the national secretary position. While a court ruling affirmed Sunday Ude-Okoye as the rightful secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu continues to occupy the position. The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) recently upheld Ude-Okoye’s appointment in line with the court’s decision, but the crisis has still been ongoing.
Dismissing speculations of an imminent national convention, Anyanwu confirmed on Friday that the NEC meeting is now likely to take place in May. “We are not going to have our national convention for now, but what we are going to have is a NEC meeting, and I know that the meeting will be held in May,” he said.
Former party spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan Ologbondiyan, however, stressed that resolving the party’s crisis depends on Damagum stepping aside for a new chairman from the North Central zone. “I’m also aware that there are some moves or plans to have a quick national convention where a successor (to Ayu) would be elected so that by December, a new national working committee would resume. When that is done, the matter would have been resolved,” he stated.
Meanwhile, National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, declined to confirm or deny the postponement, saying the party would officially communicate its decisions in due course. “Did you get your information from the official quarters of the party? The PDP has a way of communicating its plans to the people. There is a process for doing that. It’s a big issue, and you know that we have a process of communicating such,” he said.
