By John Moses
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has pledged to swiftly resolve a growing leadership dispute surrounding the position of its national secretary.
The commitment was made by the PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, following a closed-door meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday in Abuja. The meeting was convened in response to INEC’s concerns over conflicting communications from the party regarding its leadership.
Damagum was accompanied by key party figures, including several PDP governors — Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) — as well as prominent stakeholders such as former Senate President Bukola Saraki, ex-governors Ahmad Makarfi and Seriake Dickson, and former PDP National Secretary Ben Obi.
Speaking after the meeting, Damagum described the discussions with INEC as “thorough and fruitful,” and stated that the party would immediately engage its wider stakeholder base before taking a definitive position.
“This is a dynamic political environment. We will take the outcomes of this meeting back to our larger stakeholder group and come up with a unified stance,” he said.
Before the meeting entered closed session, Damagum expressed appreciation to INEC for its willingness to engage, adding that the session was vital to address concerns arising from a recent PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) decision.
“We felt it necessary to clarify the issues raised, especially following your letter advising us to adhere strictly to party regulations,” he said.
INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu highlighted the commission’s unease over conflicting messages from the PDP regarding the identity of its national secretary. He revealed that INEC had, over recent months, received letters from the PDP naming multiple individuals to the role — including Udeh Okoye, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and Setonji Koshoedo — with the most recent correspondence lacking a secretary’s signature altogether.
“This creates a procedural dilemma,” Yakubu said. “Our guidelines stipulate that party correspondence must be jointly signed by both the national chairman and the national secretary.”
INEC had earlier rejected the party’s notice for its NEC meeting scheduled for June 30, stating that it failed to comply with Section 2(12)3 of the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, which require joint signatures from both the chairman and secretary.
