The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared its opposition to the return of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary of the party.
It also kicked against Acting National Chair Umar Damagum’s postponement of Monday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Anyanwu was reinstated after a parley between the party’s leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The reinstatement sparked a row in the National Working Committee(NWC), with 11 of 19 members warning Damagum about the consequences of violating NEC’s directive that the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, should act as secretary.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is believed to have broken ranks with his fellow governors over the issue.
Makinde is believed to be opposed to Anyanwu’s return, while the PDP governors’ forum chair and Bauchi State Governor Bala Muhammed are in support of Anyanwu.
Two of the 11 NWC members -the National Vice Chairman (North West), Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, and the National Treasurer, Ahmed Yayari- denied involvement in the anti-Damagum plot.
They also said they are not part of the agenda to hold the next NEC meeting on Monday. Wabara condemned Damagum, saying that his decision on reinstatement was invalid.
He also said he was speaking for the BoT, and not for himself.
In a statement, Wabara, a former Senate President, said: “The attention of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to an unconstitutional pronouncement by the Acting National Chairman of our great party, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, purporting to cancel the 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, 30th June, 2025 and directing Senator Samuel Anyanwu to resume as National Secretary of the party
“The BoT, in defence of the Constitution of the PDP, states categorically that these pronouncements by the Acting National Chairman are null, void and of no effect, being inconsistent and in gross violation of the express provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Executive Committee (NEC) is the highest decision-making Organ of the Party, second only to the National Convention; by Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution, the resolution of the NEC at its 99th meeting held on Tuesday, 27th May, 2025 to hold its 100th meeting on Monday, 30th June, 2025 is binding on all Organs and members of the PDP.
“To this effect, being an NEC decision, no organ, group or individual has the power or competence to cancel, adjust or postpone the 100th NEC meeting already scheduled.
“It is, therefore, not within the remit or authority of the Acting National Chairman to override a collective decision of the NEC. ‘’Such conduct amounts to an affront to the constitutional authority of NEC and the collective will of our party.”
Gwarzo and Yayari said in a statement that Anyanwu’s reinstatement was in the best interest of the party.
Gwarzo said: “It is important to state that the decision to recall Senator Anyanwu did not happen in a vacuum; following the interactive session between the party’s leadership and the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, 25th June 2025 at PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza Wuse Zone 5 Abuja, mandated the acting National Chairman of the party to issue the statement recalling the national secretary.”
The National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, said the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, was joking when he fixed the NEC meeting for Monday without clearance from the acting chairman.
