The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated into a full-fledged institutional showdown as the rival Damagum and Wike factions have formally written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), each seeking recognition as the party’s legitimate National Working Committee (NWC).
The Damagum faction was the first to notify INEC, reporting the suspension of National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), and National Organising Secretary Umar Bature a move insiders say was aimed at consolidating its claim to party leadership.
In a swift counteraction, the Wike bloc issued its own suspension notices targeting Ambassador Umar Damagum, Debo Ologunagba, Taofeek Arapaja, Daniel Woyenguikoro, Sulaiman Kadade, and Setonji Koshoedo, and dispatched a letter to INEC dated November 3, 2025, urging the commission to recognise the faction led by Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed.
The Wike group has also approached the Court of Appeal seeking clarification on the ruling by Justice James Omotosho in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, which barred INEC from monitoring or recognising the Ibadan National Convention planned by the Damagum camp.
Meanwhile, the Damagum faction insists the convention will go ahead after securing a fresh order from an Oyo State High Court, with the event scheduled for November 15–16.
The new acting National Chairman of the Wike faction has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, demanding a full investigation of Damagum and his loyalists over the alleged November 3, 2025 invasion of the PDP national secretariat.
On the same day, Senator Samuel Anyanwu issued a memo titled “Re: Staff Dismissal,” directing secretariat staff reportedly sacked by the Damagum group to ignore the dismissal letters.
“Let every staff concerned or in receipt of such mischievous letter disregard it forthwith and consider it as illegal and of no effect,” Anyanwu wrote.
Wike, after meeting the Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) on Thursday, rejected its reconciliation efforts and accused members of bias. By Friday, the Wike faction had dissolved the BoT and replaced it with a parallel version led by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, arguing that several BoT members had exceeded the five-year tenure allowed by the PDP constitution. The decision also leaned on Wabara’s earlier expulsion by the Abia PDP over alleged anti-party activities.
Undeterred, the Damagum camp reiterated its readiness for the Ibadan convention.
“With just eight days until the landmark Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) @OfficialPDPNig National Elective Convention on November 15–16, 2025, the party is firing on all cylinders,” the group posted on its verified X handle, describing the event as a platform of renewal for over 3,000 delegates.
The faction called the upcoming convention “a bold declaration of renewal, reconciliation, and resilience,” positioning it as a major step toward challenging the APC in 2027.
In another statement, the group maintained that Anyanwu, Bature, and Ajibade remain suspended, dismissing Abdulrahman Mohammed as “an impostor.”
“This decisive stance underscores the party’s unwavering commitment to constitutional discipline and unity,” it said, referencing Sections 57(3), 58(1)(a)(b)(c)(h), and 59(1) of the PDP Constitution.
The Damagum faction also confirmed that INEC had been formally notified and had acknowledged receipt of its communications.
“The PDP NWC remains indivisible under Ambassador Damagum’s legitimate leadership,” it declared, accusing the opposing camp of acting out of “personal ambitions and APC proxies.”
