Leadership crisis: PDP BoT, NWC fix meeting ‘to restore normalcy’

The board of trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will meet the national working committee (NWC) over the internal crisis in the party.

In a statement issued on Friday, Adolphus Wabara, chairman of the PDP BoT, asked the factions in the NWC to refrain from taking actions that will escalate the crisis in the opposition party.

“The BoT calls on all sides of the NWC to sheath their swords and de-escalate the tension. The warring persons must, in the overall interest of the party, revert to the status quo to preserve the unity and stability of our great party,” the statement reads.

“We understand that disagreements may arise, but as a party with a long-standing tradition of internal democracy, we must not let these challenges derail our collective vision.

“The Board of Trustees will meet with the members of the NWC to intervene, foster reconciliation, and ensure that normalcy is restored in the NWC of our Great Party.”

Wabara also asked party members and supporters to remain calm, adding that an “effective conflict resolution mechanism” would be deployed to resolve the internal wrangling.

“We are confident that the current issues will be addressed and resolved in a manner that strengthens the party,” Wabara said.

The PDP has been engulfed in an internal crisis since 2022, polarising the party and the NWC.

The opposition party’s internal wrangling took a new twist on Thursday with one faction in the NWC suspending Umar Damagum, the acting national chairman, and Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary.

Another faction suspended Kamaldeen Ajibade, the national legal adviser, and Debo Ologunagba, the national spokesperson.

Ologunagba’s faction has announced the appointment of Yayari Mohammed as the party’s acting national chairman.

On Friday, a federal high court in Abuja restrained the national executive committee (NEC) and BoT of the party from removing Damagum as the acting national chairman.

In a judgment delivered via Zoom on Friday, Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, ordered that aside from Damagum, no other person must be recognised as the PDP acting national chairman until the party’s convention scheduled for December 2025.