This week may make or mar the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as two important events towards the resolution of the lingering crisis in the party hold. ONYEKACHI EZE writes

This week is very important for leaders, supporters and sympathisers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is because two important events that will probably define the party’s future, are expected to hold within the week.
The first is the commencement of hearing, by the Supreme Court, of the appeal filed by the embattled former National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu challenging his sack by the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division in December last year.
At its last sitting on February 18, the apex court granted Anyanwu’s request for accelerated hearing of his appeal but however refused to grant his request for stay of execution of the judgement, which recognised Sunday Ude-Okoye as his replacement. The appeal will be heard on Monday, March 10.
Due to the urgency of the appeal, there are even suggestions that the panel of justices may give its judgement that day or may fix anytime this week for final resolution of the intractable crisis that has held PDP down since this year.
Why the Supreme Court decision is very important is that it will lay to rest the many cases pending in various courts regarding the national secretaryship. Though the apex court denied Anyanwu’s request for stay of execution, he has obtained court order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting any correspondence from PDP except it is endorsed by him as National Secretary.
Imo State chapter Chairman also went to court to stop any member of the party, including the Deputy National Secretary Setonji Koshoedo who acted on Anyanwu’s behalf when he went to contest Imo State governorship election in 2023, from convening any meeting of the party. The Supreme Court judgement will lay to rest all these court issues.

Party Secretariat at standstill
Activities at the party’s secretariat has been at standstill since the controversy over the secretaryship began last December, and it is threatening PDP chances of fielding candidates in the Anambra State governorship election in November this year. The sale of nomination form, which, according to the schedule of activities released by the Office of the National Organising Secretary (NOS), Capt. Umar Bature, supposed to begin on Monday February 24 and end on Wednesday March 5 came and went without any aspirant coming to obtain the form.
There was no further notice concerning extension either, but suffice to state that the failure of any aspirant to obtain the nomination form may not be unconnected with the contest over the national secretaryship position before the Supreme Court.
In 2019, the elections of all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamafra State including the governor and legislators-elect at both National and state Assemblies, were nullified due to invalid nominations. Perhaps, no aspirant in Anambra State is ready to take such gamble in PDP.
The quick resolution of the national secretaryship issue by the Supreme Court may breathe life on the party. There is still a window for the party to meet the INEC deadline and participate in the Anambra governorship election.
The other event which will likely define PDP’s future this week, is the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the people, which is scheduled to hold this Thursday, March 13. The meeting has been postponed three times since April 18 last year when it last met after more than two years.
Before the NEC meeting is also another contentious issue: the National Chairmanship, which has been vacant since the removal of the former occupant, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, by his ward in March 2023. Former Deputy National Chairman (North) Ambassador Umar Damagum, who has filled the position on acting capacity, is facing intensive pressure to quit because he is not from North Central where the office was originally micro-zoned to, in 2021.
It is believed that the fear of removing Damagum as acting National Chairman is the reason NEC has not met since last April. PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba had told journalists then that the issue of leadership change was deferred “to the next meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for August 15, 2024.” Since then, the NWC had been offering one reason or the other to justify the shift.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) Senator Adolphus Wabara, at the board’s meeting in December last year, said the delay by the NWC from convening the NEC meeting “not only undermines the trust and confidence of party members, but portrays our party as having been hijacked by certain interests.” Wabara however reminded party members that NEC meeting is critical for resolving pressing issues and charting a clear path forward for the party, warning that “any further postponement will exacerbate existing challenges and may spell doom for” the party.
Few days after the BoT meeting, party leaders from North Central also met and challenged PDP to be “guided by its own constitution at all times.” The leaders who included Plateau State governor, Caleb Muftwang; two former Presidents of the Senate, David Mark and Bukola Saraki; Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Morro; former governors Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Jonah Jang, (Plateau), Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), and Idris Wada (Kogi), as well as former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, appealed to PDP leaders in other zones to support the region to serve out its national chairmanship tenure. That was the first time party leaders from the zone spoke in one voice regarding the party chairmanship.
PDP has been hemorrhaging since the 2023 general elections. It has lost many members, including elected lawmakers, to the ruling APC. This is further compounded by the division within the NWC members. The party’s national secretariat which used to be a beehive of activities, has been deserted since this year. NWC members who meet every fortnight, now meet occasionally and virtually for fear of being attacked. Most of the offices of NWC members have been under lock and key since January this year.
PDP blames external forces for its problem. The party has severally accused the APC of plot to foist a one-party state in Nigeria. The problem is even further compounded by some PDP members who are believed are being used by the ruling party to undermine the party.
Ologunagba, in 2023, accused the APC of emasculating Institutions of democracy such as INEC and the judiciary, to always do its biddings. He alleged the manipulation of elections by INEC in favour of APC, and conflicting judgements by electoral Courts, which he said, were in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution of the 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC’s Guidelines and Regulations for elections.
“What is more worrisome is that these obnoxiously contradictory judgments are targeted at the PDP to the effect that elections that were clearly won by PDP candidates are snatched away at the courts and awarded to defeated candidates of the APC contrary to the provisions of the law,” he stated.
A çase in point, according to Ologunagba, was in Plateau, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Nasarawa States, where he said, PDP was robbed of victory through the courts, said they “are pointers to a systemic emasculation of the opposition in a bid to impose a one-party state and pave way for totalitarianism in the country.
“This situation is a clear and present danger to the sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy, unity, political stability and corporate existence as a nation, which is capable of breeding agitation, citizens loss of confidence in the system, restiveness, anarchy and chaos.
“Democracy must be allowed to thrive as the government of the people as expressed by their will at elections. Any intrusion, breach, violation and/or transgression against that expressed will as being witnessed today under the APC is a clear recipe for a serious political crisis and portends grave consequences for our country.
“It is therefore imperative to draw the attention of Nigerians and the whole world to the undermining and crippling of democracy and the danger our nation is facing at this moment.”

Group chides Wike
An interest group, Conference of Professional in PDP (CP-PDP) accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, of anti-party by endorsing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, and called on him to resign from the APC cabinet or he should be expelled from the PDP.
Convener of the group Obinna Nwachukwu, also accused some PDP members of being agents of the ruling party, and said their actions and utterances were capable of crippling the PDP and enabling the APC foist a one-party state in the country.
“These individuals are attempting to set themselves above the party, barefacedly denigrating all organs of the PDP, stoking disagreements in our structures, instituting damaging litigations, procuring injurious judicial pronouncements while boisterously making caustic and inciting utterances which breed confusion, undercut the fabrics of our great party and tend to destroy its capacity to contest elections,” Nwachukwu stated.
He said he finds it “incongruous and unexplainable that an individual who claims to be a leading member of the PDP as a opposition party is at the same time serving as a top cabinet minister in the APC administration.”
The lingering leadership crises in the PDP were believed to be orchestrated to weaken the party and ensure it is not strong enough to challenge APC especially at the presidential election, in 2027. There was even rumour of an attempt to stop PDP from fielding candidates in the 2023 general election by orchestrating invalid nominations.
The November 8 Anambra governorship election appears to be a dress rehearsal of what to expect in 2027. Many, if not all political gladiators in Anambra State have pitched tents with the APC. Apart from former National Treasurer of APC George Moghalu who obtained the nomination form of the Labour Party, no politician of note has obtained any other party’s nomination form except APC for the November election.
The APC has won all the off-circle governorship elections conducted since the 2023 general election, except Bayelsa State. The party is boasting that it will completely take control of all the states in South-West and South-East. This makes the allegation of one-party state very scary.
The outcome of the two events expected to take place in PDP this week will give direction the 2027 general election will take.