Barring any last-minute change of plan, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to hold a crucial meeting today to deliberate on modalities for the forthcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, as the crisis over the party’s national secretaryship continues to fester.

The meeting comes amid fresh threats from the South-East zonal caucus, which has warned that it may be forced to exit the party if its nominee, Sunday Ude-Okoye, is not ratified as national secretary.

Daily Trust reports that the leadership tussle between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye over the national secretary position remains at the heart of the party’s internal strife. This is despite a consensus among most PDP governors to replace Anyanwu—who contested and lost the 2023 Imo State governorship election—with a new nominee from the South-East

However, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, a key powerbroker in the party, has insisted that Anyanwu be allowed to complete his tenure. Wike has also threatened legal action if any correspondence with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including the notice for the NEC meeting scheduled for 27 May, is not signed by Anyanwu.

The NEC meeting is expected to be followed by the party’s national convention in August, provided that ongoing internal disputes are resolved. A seven-member committee, chaired by former Senate President and ex-governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, has been constituted by PDP governors and other stakeholders to mediate the crisis.

Beyond NEC preparations, today’s NWC meeting will also address the recurring security concerns at the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, located in Zone 5, Abuja.

The meeting comes on the heels of a declaration of support for the acting national secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, by 83 administrative staff members of the PDP secretariat. After hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the staff endorsed Koshoedo, even as the South-East caucus maintained its demand for the ratification of Ude-Okoye as its zonal nominee for the national secretary position.

NWC meeting agenda

Daily Trust reliably gathered from credible sources that today’s NWC meeting is intended to kick start preparations for the NEC session.

“The NWC is meeting tomorrow (Thursday); they want to begin the process for the National Executive Committee meeting slated for May 27,” one of the sources said.

The source added that, “Some persons are still bent on ensuring that the NEC does not hold. The NWC wants to set the process in motion and are seriously working toward that goal.

“The meeting will also address the persistent insecurity at the party’s national headquarters. Thugs have invaded the secretariat several times, especially during this dispute over the secretaryship. If you recall, there was a serious crisis during one of the Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings.

“Staff members have repeatedly complained about their safety. When they met with the acting national secretary, it was one of the issues they raised. At one point, the BoT had to move its meeting outside the premises. The NWC wants to take a sweeping decision—possibly to restructure the security architecture,” the source added.

South-East insists on Ude-Okoye, threatens exit

Meanwhile, the South-East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) on Wednesday unanimously reaffirmed Ude-Okoye as the zone’s consensus candidate to replace Anyanwu as national secretary.

The meeting, held in Enugu State, brought together key stakeholders, including Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, members of the National Assembly, state lawmakers, party executives, former governors and PDP BoT members from the region.

Presided over by the Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, the committee’s communiqué reaffirmed Ude-Okoye’s nomination and stressed unity and party revival as key motivations.

“The South-East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability and progress of our party,” the communiqué read.

“Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the national secretary.”

The committee also called on the NWC to uphold its earlier decision from the 600th meeting held on 29 April 2025, which authorised the deputy national secretary to act in that capacity pending NEC’s formal ratification of Ude-Okoye’s nomination.

The communiqué further lamented the consistent challenges faced by the South-East PDP in filling vacant national positions, compared to other zones.

“It recalled that the South-East ZEC met in October 2023 and nominated Rt. Hon. Ude-Okoye to serve out the remaining term. This position was reaffirmed during meetings in February and January. Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South-East PDP is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves,” it stated.

The ZEC warned that failure to respect the zone’s position could compel the South-East PDP to reconsider its relationship with the party.

Secretariat staff back govs, NWC on Koshoedo

Similarly, the management and staff of the PDP national secretariat have declared their support for the PDP Governors’ Forum and the NWC in recognising Architect Setonji Koshoedo as the acting national secretary.

They described the decision as being in the best interest of the party and urged Senator Anyanwu to accept it in good faith.

In a press conference held at the party’s Abuja headquarters following their Wednesday meeting, 83 staff members expressed their desire to see the party’s internal challenges resolved urgently.

Director of Administration, Engr Gurama Bawa, who addressed the press, said: “After thorough consideration, the management and staff of the PDP national secretariat unanimously align with and declare loyalty to the recommendation of the PDP Governors’ Forum as adopted by the NWC, in recognising and working with Arch. Setonji Koshoedo as the acting national secretary in line with the PDP Constitution.

“We believe the NWC’s directive that Koshoedo act as national secretary is in the overall interest of the party’s stability, as it is the best step at the moment to restore members’ confidence and uphold the integrity of our internal processes, especially given the sensitivity of the office.”

Bawa added that INEC has acknowledged Koshoedo in his acting capacity and continues to receive and attend to official correspondence signed by him, contrary to misinformation from some quarters.

The staff further called on acting national chairman, Umar Damagum to ensure that the NEC meeting holds as scheduled on May 27, to address pressing issues and reaffirm the party’s core values of unity, discipline, loyalty, and constitutional order.

More govs, lawmakers will leave PDP – Ologbondiyan

Meanwhile, a former PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, has warned that more governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives may defect from the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

His warning echoes concerns raised earlier in the week by former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, who cautioned that the PDP could collapse before 2027 if the leadership fails to urgently address the party’s internal crises.

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, Ologbondiyan likened the current political environment to a “football transfer window,” pointing to the recent defection of all Senate members from Kebbi State to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a major blow to the PDP.

He stressed that the party must resolve its leadership crisis before discussing potential 2027 presidential candidates. While names such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have been floated, Ologbondiyan insisted that only the party’s delegates can determine which candidate is best positioned to improve PDP’s electoral fortunes.

Commenting on zoning debates, Ologbondiyan referred to the recent statement by the FCT Minister advocating for a southern presidential candidate as merely one of many emerging perspectives. He advised the PDP to approach the regional and zoning dynamics cautiously to preserve its national relevance.

“To be honest, defections will happen. Governors will leave. Senators will leave. Members of the House of Representatives will leave. So will members of state assemblies. It is the season of defections, and we must acknowledge that.

“But as we analyse this, let us also remember an important detail from the 2023 election. In one particular state, we had a sitting PDP governor who was also the party’s vice presidential candidate. Yet, the PDP still lost that state to the Labour Party,” he said. (Daily Trust)