- No individual bigger than PDP, says Diri
- Anyanwu’s aide arrested for daring to stop NWC meeting
- I’m ready to work with Peter Obi for vibrant opposition – Bauchi gov
The main opposition People’s Democratic Party is still consumed by chaos and the forces expected to bring order to the party have not only failed to do so but also seem overwhelmed by the magnitude of disenchantment among its aggrieved members.
While this remains an encumbrance for the party, ego and lack of patriotism to reinvent it back to its winning ways and return it to power in 2027 has also taken the better part of some members of the opposition party, leaving it in shred and vulnerable to implosion with uncertainty over its future.
The acting national chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, has maintained that the party has not conducted its South-South Zonal Elective Congress, despite claims to the contrary.
Damagum stated this on Thursday during the inauguration of the South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee at the PDP National Headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
His position contradicts the events of February 22, when the party reportedly held the congress, with the chairman of the electoral committee, Vita Abba, declaring Dan Orbih — an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike — as the National Vice Chairman for the South-South after securing 174 votes.
Wike, who attended the congress in Calabar, insisted that the process was legal and final, declaring that the South-South remained the PDP’s strongest base.
He dismissed any plans for a fresh congress, affirming Orbih’s leadership in the zone.
However, four South-South governors were absent from the congress on Thursday, signaling internal divisions.
The Damagum-led National Working Committee ignored Wike’s stance and, on March 7, appointed Emma Ogidi as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee while setting April 12 as the new date for the zonal congress.
Speaking at the inauguration, Damagum stated, “As far as the NWC is concerned, the South-South Zonal Congress has not been held. Since their tenure has ended, we are setting up a Caretaker Committee today.”
Dignitaries present at the event included Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara, former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, and National Secretary Sunday Udeh-Okoye, among others.
No individual bigger than PDP, says Diri
Also, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, said that the PDP was bigger than any individual and that its internal challenges would be fixed once the members resolved to tackle them.
Speaking to journalists at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday after the inauguration of the party’s South-South zonal caretaker committee led by Elder Emma Ogidi, the Bayelsa State Governor said the political will to confront those fomenting trouble in the party resided with the members and not solely on the leadership.
“Diri, who is also Chairman of the South-South PDP Governors Forum, stated that for the party to be competitive as the oldest in the country, it must look inwards and fix its internal issues,” according to a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dan Alabrah.
He said, “For me, we have to look inwards before accusing those outside our party. We have to first fix our internal issues.
“It is very easy to point accusing fingers. But the PDP has to sit back and tackle its internal challenges. That is only when we can stand to compete with others.
“I want the PDP to be competitive with other political parties. We are the oldest political party in Nigeria. So we have no reason to be accusing outsiders.”
On whether the party’s leadership had the political will to discipline those fomenting trouble, Governor Diri averred that such will resided with the members.
“We are all members of the party. The moment we all resolve that we need to fix our party, there cannot be any one person that is bigger than the party.”
He stressed that the newly inaugurated zonal caretaker committee had the mandate of the National Working Committee to look into every issue affecting the party in the South-South.
The Bayelsa helmsman expressed the hope that the event was a step forward for the party.
“In our zone, which is the only area in the country you have four governors of the party, we have all resolved and are together on this. You can see the deputy governor of Delta State, who represented the governor. I have also received messages from the governors of Akwa Ibom and Rivers. It shows that we are together and what we need to do is to show leadership and work with the zonal committee so that our zone will again become safe and strong for the PDP.”
Anyanwu’s aide arrested for daring to stop PDP NWC meeting
In the same vein, an aide to one of the claimants to the office of the National Secretary of the PDP, Emmanuel Okoronkwo, who allegedly hired thugs to stop the National Working Committee members from holding their meeting at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, has been arrested.
Okoronkwo had allegedly hired thugs to block the NWC members, since his principal, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, was not allowed to attend. Rather, Sunday Udeh-Okoye was already seated at the NWC hall.
The thugs, armed with dangerous weapons, were physically blocking the NWC members from gaining access to the meeting venue.
At a stage, the PDP secretariat staff openly revolted, challenging Okoronkwo whether he was the Chief Security Officer of the party.
All these took place in the presence of all security agencies usually deployed to maintain law and order at the party secretariat.
But when things got out of hand, the Police High Command, deployed a Chief Superintendent of Police, Haliu Rapheal, to arrest and whisk Anyanwu’s aide and the accompanying thugs away.
Rapheal was accompanied in the mission by a combined team of operatives of the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Army and the Federal Road Safety Corps officers.
Okoronkwo and other thugs were overpowered and dumped inside one of the seven Hilux trucks, amidst cheers from the PDP secretariat staff.
Okoronkwo had locked up the party’s Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja, preventing members of the NWC from holding a scheduled meeting.
In a video circulating online, Okoronkwo threatened to unleash mayhem on what he described as “unauthorised persons” attempting to access the party’s headquarters.
He allegedly mobilised the thugs to barricade the front and back entrances, creating a hostile environment for party members and staff opposed to Anyanwu.
Journalists and other visitors were also denied entry into the secretariat as the situation escalated.
Okoronkwo has also been accused of physically assaulting Udeh-Okoye during the last Board of Trustees meeting at the party’s headquarters.
The National Working Committee of the PDP rose from its first meeting in over five months on Wednesday, creating the impression of a quick return to peace.
However, the security situation around the Wadata Plaza national secretariat, where the closed-door meeting was held, painted a different picture.
A few hours before the meeting, scores of thugs took over the entire building, preventing easy access for members.
Sunday Udeh-Okoye, the Court of Appeal-imposed new secretary of the PDP, who eventually attended the meeting, was threatened—along with his colleagues—by aides of the removed former secretary, Sam Anyanwu.
However, the situation took a sudden turn when security personnel arrived and forcefully arrested the leader of the thugs.
In a brazen attempt to disrupt the meeting, Emmanuel Okoronkwo, an aide to Anyanwu led thugs to block the entrance of the party’s national headquarters.
This incident was the latest development in the ongoing leadership crisis within the PDP, as Samuel Anyanwu continues to lay claim to the position of National Secretary after an Appeal Court in Enugu rejected him.
The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on the case.
The meeting, which was also the first after the Supreme Court threw out a motion for a stay of execution of a High Court judgment removing Senator Anyanwu from office, was dramatic due to Udeh-Okoye’s official welcome to the secretaryship.
Although the meeting’s agenda was not made public, it was gathered that discussions included arrangements for the upcoming Anambra Governorship election and the pending Supreme Court case over the secretaryship tussle.
A party source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Of course, the issue of the screening of aspirants for the Anambra election, as well as the Supreme Court decision, featured.
“We formally welcomed Udeh-Okoye into our fold. This is the first physical meeting the NWC is holding this year. The party is making progress slowly, and we have to tread with caution until we hear from the Supreme Court again on the substantive suit regarding the National Secretary position.”
I’m ready to work with Peter Obi for vibrant opposition – Bauchi gov
Similarly, Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, has expressed his readiness to collaborate with Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to strengthen opposition politics in Nigeria.
Speaking on Thursday after a closed-door meeting with Obi at the Government House, Bauchi, Mohammed said both he and the PDP admired Obi’s political style and vision for the country.
“We have a lot of respect and admiration for him because of his style of politics, his statesmanship, his versatile nature, and his deep knowledge of the economy and governance,” Mohammed said.
He added, “Peter Obi has a clear vision of where politics and politicians should be in terms of bringing good governance, impacting the people, and uniting the country. It is always a delight to listen to him because of his deep knowledge and mastery of statistics.”
The governor further revealed that his meeting with Obi was not the first, as they had met previously in Abuja.
He disclosed that discussions covered a range of national issues, including political challenges in Rivers State and the state of the opposition in Nigeria.
“I appreciate what he is doing as a leader of the opposition because, whether we like it or not, he is now the face of opposition politics in Nigeria,” he said.
Mohammed also stressed his commitment to working with Obi to “close ranks” and provide a strong and knowledgeable opposition to the ruling party.
He stated, “I want to say clearly that I am ready to work with Peter Obi. We must come together to bring good governance, offer a vibrant opposition with vision and strategy, and rescue this country from mediocrities parading themselves as leaders.
“The time has come for us to step out and act with sincerity and focus. Our coming together is a message, and this message will resonate because my fellow governors support this kind of alliance.”
Speaking earlier, Obi said his visit to Mohammed was part of wider consultations aimed at addressing Nigeria’s current challenges.
“Nigerians may wonder why I am here, but I have come to consult with him because he is a critical stakeholder in Nigerian politics,” Obi explained.
He noted that the state of the nation required him to seek discussions with key leaders, particularly from the North.
“All of you know where we are today as a country. We must talk about the issues affecting the North because the North is a critical component in getting Nigeria on the right path,” he said.
Obi also emphasised that tackling poverty was key to addressing insecurity.
“When people talk about criminality in Nigeria, especially in the North, I tell them the real issue is poverty. Until we address poverty, we cannot solve criminality,” he asserted.
According to Obi, Nigeria must invest in education and agriculture to lift millions out of poverty and reduce crime.
“But look at what dominates our political discourse today—budget padding, sexual harassment—while Nigerians are hungry. We need to discuss hunger, poverty, education, and healthcare,” he added.
Obi concluded by stating that his discussions with Mohammed were just beginning and that he hoped to continue engagements on the future of Nigeria.