The Peoples Democratic Party has postponed its much-anticipated National Executive Committee meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, March 13.
Party leaders are grappling with ongoing leadership crises, which have led to the rescheduling of the meeting, now expected to take place in May, according to sources within the party.
The PDP Governors’ Forum had initially agreed in January to hold the NEC meeting this month, with the aim of addressing the party’s internal disputes, particularly the prolonged tenure of Ambassador Umar Damagum as acting national chairman. However, recent developments indicate that the meeting has been delayed once again, fueling concerns over the party’s stability.
Since losing power to the All Progressives Congress in 2015, the PDP has been plagued by internal divisions, with new tensions emerging over the leadership structure. The party has struggled to replace Damagum, who stepped in as acting chairman after the resignation of Senator Iyorchia Ayu in 2023. Ayu, who hailed from the North Central region, was suspended and later stepped down following a leadership dispute in Benue State. Despite the party’s zoning agreement that designated the chairman position for 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 engaged in a legal battle over the national secretary position. A court ruling had affirmed Sunday Ude-Okoye as the rightful secretary, but Senator Samuel Anyanwu continues to occupy the role. The party’s National Working Committee recently upheld Ude-Okoye’s appointment in line with the court’s decision, but the dispute remains unresolved.
Senator Anyanwu dismissed speculations about an imminent national convention, confirming on Friday that the NEC meeting would likely be held 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 stated.
Former party spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan emphasized that resolving the party’s crisis hinged 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,” Ologbondiyan added.
Meanwhile, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, declined to confirm or deny the postponement. He stated that 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.
