A fresh crisis has erupted within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two of its top officers — Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu — issued contradictory instructions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the conduct of state congresses in three states.
The drama unfolded in less than 48 hours, deepening the cracks within the already fragile party structure.
In a letter dated September 25, 2025, Damagum directed INEC to put on hold the PDP congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi States, earlier scheduled for Saturday, September 27, citing “unforeseen circumstances and operational logistic challenges.”
“The National Working Committee of our great party hereby postpones the state congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi States. A new date will be communicated to the Commission,” Damagum wrote.
But in a dramatic twist, barely 24 hours later, the party’s National Secretary, Senator Anyanwu, dispatched a counter-letter dated September 26, 2025, insisting that the congresses must go ahead as planned, openly discrediting Damagum’s directive.
“This is to confirm to the Commission that the Congress will hold as originally scheduled and has not been postponed. The earlier letter signed by the National Chairman should be ignored,” Anyanwu declared, warning that any communication to INEC not jointly signed by both the National Chairman and National Secretary “must not be recognised.”
The conflicting directives have now thrown the fate of the state congresses into uncertainty, fueling speculation about deeper battles for supremacy within the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Party insiders reveal that the tussle is more than a procedural disagreement — it is a proxy war between rival factions angling for control of the party machinery ahead of the 2027 general elections.
With the PDP already struggling to present a united front as Nigeria’s main opposition, the Damagum-Anyanwu clash threatens to plunge the party into yet another round of bitter leadership wrangling, further testing its resilience in the run-up to crucial contests at both state and national levels.
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