Amidst Internal Crisis, PDP NWC Holds Crucial Meeting
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently holding a crucial meeting in Abuja, led by Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
Naija News reports that the meeting comes amid ongoing internal challenges and leadership concerns within the party.
Ambassador Damagum has been serving as the party’s Acting National Chairman since March 2023, following the suspension of former Chairman Iyorchia Ayu. His tenure has been marked by internal disputes and controversies.
In October 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a restraining order preventing the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) from removing Damagum until the next national convention, set for December 2025. The court ruled that any attempt to replace him outside the agreed framework would violate the party’s constitution and risk disrupting the internal balance of power.
Despite this legal backing, Damagum has faced opposition from within the party. In April 2024, about 60 PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives accused him of anti-party activities and demanded his resignation. They alleged that he was working against the party’s interests by collaborating with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing the Ideato federal constituency, remarked, “We currently have in the PDP a national leadership that is in bed with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and is working extremely hard to hand over the party to the APC.”
Further allegations surfaced in November 2024, suggesting that Damagum held a secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu. Additionally, some PDP governors are reportedly against his continued leadership, adding to the party’s ongoing crisis.
During the NWC meeting on February 12, 2025, a memo presented by Damagum on the position of the National Secretary was reviewed. The committee examined relevant legal documents, including the High Court of Enugu’s declaratory judgment, the Court of Appeal ruling in Enugu Division, and legal opinions from Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki SAN and the PDP’s National Legal Adviser.
According to a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, after thorough consideration, the NWC officially recognized and confirmed Rt. Hon. S.K.E Udeh Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in accordance with the Court of Appeal’s ruling.
The statement emphasized that “there is no subsisting or superseding Judgment or Order from any Court of superior authority or hierarchy.”
It further added, “The NWC has commenced the transmission of its Resolution/Decision affirming Rt. Hon. S.K.E Udeh Okoye as the PDP National Secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant bodies for recognition in line with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.”
