The deadline by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the sale of Nomination forms for its gubernatorial primary, for the November 8, Anambra governorship poll elapsed on March 5, without the party selling a single form. Ironically, in the recent past, sale of Nomination forms for Anambra is always a bazaar for the opposition party, as governorship aspirants from the South-East State fall over themselves to obtain the forms.

Analysts say the situation with the Anambra governorship Nomination forms, is an indication of how much the electoral value of the opposition party has diminished in recent times. In its heydays, the PDP dominated the political scene. Then, all it took to win an election, in several parts of the country, was to secure the PDP’s ticket. In fact, at the height of its power, a former National Chairman of the opposition party, late Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, had boasted that the party will rule the country for 60 years.

Ironically, today, the PDP, which lost power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, is laying prostate, as it appears crippled by endless power tussle. From the tussle over the National Chairmanship position to litigation over who is the authentic National Secretary, to battle over the control of party structure at some of the states and zonal chapters, it has been a litany of woes.

A crack emerged in the opposition party, prior to the 2023 General Elections, following the demand of the G-5, led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for the replacement of the then PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu as condition for their support for the party in the 2023 presidential poll.

Ayu’s ouster, immediately after the last presidential election, and subsequent replacement with Ambassador Umar Damagum, in an acting capacity, deepened the crisis in the party, thereby polarising its different organs.

At the centre of it all was the disagreement on whether Damagum should continue to act as National Chairman until the party’s national convention in December, 2025 or be replaced by a substantive National Chairman from the North- Central, where Ayu hails from, in line with the PDP’s constitution.

Article 47 (6) of the PDP’s constitution stipulates that “where a vacancy occurs in any of the office of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

While Wike’s supporters had continued to push for Damagum’s stay as acting National Chairman until December 2025, the PDP Governors’ Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, wants the acting chairman to revert to his position as Deputy National Chairman (North), while a new National Chairman is chosen from the North-Central to complete Ayu’s tenure.

The PDP crisis assumed a fresh twist on December, 20, 2024, when the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, affirmed former National Youth Leader, Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary of the party. The South- East chapter of the PDP, at a meeting in Enugu, in 2023, had nominated him as a replacement for Senator Samuel Anyanwu. Anyanwu had earlier clinched the opposition party’s ticket for the Imo gubernatorial poll. Consequently, the party leaders argued that the former lawmaker cannot continue to hold office as National Secretary.

However, Anyanwu’s replacement was to become a source of litigation as a member of the PDP in the South -East approached the Enugu State High Court to compel the National Working Committee (NWC) to recognise Ude-Okoye as National Secretary. On December 22, 2023 the Court gave judgement in his favour. On the flipside however, On January 9, 2024 a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, also gave judgment in favour of Anyanwu.

Since the Court of Appeal judgment, Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye have been locked in a bitter tussle over who is the authentic National Secretary of the party. Regardless, the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT), as well as the NWC has recognised Ude-Okoye as the authentic National Secretary of the opposition party, while the Supreme Court has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by Anyanwu, who has continued to insist that he remains National Secretary.

The bone of contention, Daily Sun gathered is who controls the levers of power in the opposition party, ahead of the 2027 General Elections. The PDP convention to elect a new leadership is expected to come up later in the year. Therefore, the calculation is that who over controls the leadership will seemingly have an upper hand in the national convention where new members of the NWC will be elected. And the NWC will in turn decide the issue of zoning for the next General Elections, as well as preside over the nomination of the presidential candidate.

A former member of the House of Representatives, from Delta State, Ossai Nicholas Ossai, while announcing his defection, last week, said the umbrella, a metaphor for the PDP, is completely torn. Ossai said:” The umbrella has broken. The party was decaying. But today, the elders in the party have broken the umbrella.”

Besides, while party members opposed to Damagum’s continued leadership has continually blamed the Yobe born politician for the crises rocking the PDP, Damagum, on his part, believes that the wrangling in the opposition party is fuelled by some of the leaders of the PDP.

The BoT Chairman, Senator Adolpus Wabara, while speaking at a recent meeting of the Board had expressed disappointment over the state of affairs, stating that it is having a negative effect on the party.

“Primarily, let me express my profound disappointment over the crises currently rocking the leadership of the National Working Committee (NWC). As elder statesmen and women; leaders who hold the trust of the generality of our party members and the public, it is disheartening that these issues have not been resolved.

“The failure to resolve these internal conflicts undermines the strength and credibility of our party. It is, therefore, imperative that the NWC rises above personal interests and places the survival and progress of our great party above all other considerations,” Wabara stated.

Damagum, who admitted that all is not well with the PDP leadership blamed party leaders including members of the BoT for the crisis. According to him “Though we have a little crisis within the NWC, I want to say this with the highest sense of responsibility that part of this crisis that you see today within the NWC, is propelled by our leaders that are supposed to unite us.

“If you create crisis simply to further your ambition, you may get what you want, but your dream will not be realised, because by that time, you have injured the horse you are going to ride to that destination. And as the conscience of this party, some of us are also complicit. We should look inwards, search our conscience,” Damagum said.

Apart from the crisis at the national secretariat, which has polarised the various organs of the PDP, the opposition party is also contending with crises in the South- East and South- west chapters, as well as in several state chapters. In the last couple of months, Ebonyi State chapter of the PDP has been in turmoil with stakeholders up in arms against each other, leading to the suspension and alleged expulsion of the National Vice chairman of the party in the South- East, Ali Odefa, by his ward in Onicha Local Government Area of the state. Like Odefa, Wabara, was recently suspended by the Abia State chapter for alleged anti- party activities. But the expulsion of the two topmost PDP leaders in the South -East are still subjects of litigations as at press time.

Similarly, the tussle for leadership in the South-South chapter has polarised the PDP in the oil rich zone. On the one hand is the PDP Governors’ in the zone and Wike’s supporters, on the other. Recently, supporters of the FCT Minister held a congress in Calabar, the Cross River State capital and re-elected Chief Dan Orbih, an ally of the FCT minister as National Vice Chairman. But the NWC nullified the congress, which was boycotted by the four PDP governors in the zone, and appointed a 7-man caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the zone for three months or until a substantive zonal executive is elected.

Analysts say though the PDP crises is about control of party structure ahead of the 2031 polls, it has actually cast a long shadow on the opposition party in the run-up to the next General Election. This is especially because the squabbles have continued to take a toll on the party with several members ditching the PDP.

In the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, hundreds of members from across the country, ditched the opposition party. Prominent among them are Former Senate President, Pius Anyim, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, former Kastina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Chinedu Orji, and member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Shuaibu Oyedokun amongst others.

Pundits blame the loss of Edo State to the APC to the intractable crisis in the state chapter, which resulted in some bigwigs, including former Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu defecting to the ruling party prior to the last governorship election.

Regardless, the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi is confident that the opposition party will bounce back stronger. Abdullahi said what the PDP is currently going through can be liken to a house cleansing. “The problem we are facing is not just PDP; you can see it in Labour Party. You can see it in most political parties. What they (APC) do is to ensure that there is no unity so that there cannot be a formidable candidate to put a challenge before them. But certainly, there will be light at the end of the tunnel, “ Abdullahi, said. (Daily Sun)