The internal crisis rocking Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has escalated dramatically as a powerful faction led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a stringent six-point demand to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The ultimatum, delivered in the early hours of Tuesday, threatens to invalidate the upcoming national convention if their conditions are not met, plunging the party into further uncertainty as it positions itself for the 2027 general elections.
The high-stakes resolution was reached during a high-powered stakeholders’ meeting convened at the Abuja residence of the former Rivers State governor on Monday night. The gathering included formidable party figures such as former Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom; former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose; former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The presence of the party’s National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, further underscored the significance of the meeting and the seriousness of the grievances.
Reading from a communique signed on behalf of the group, former Governor Ortom stated that the party leaders declared that the PDP must urgently “return to the path of equity, fairness and inclusivity if it hopes to remain a credible alternative for Nigerians.” The stakeholders issued a stark warning that failure to adhere to their demands would “render any purported national convention invalid, as legitimate members of the party would be disenfranchised.”
The six demands presented to the NWC are specific and non-negotiable, largely centered on adhering to court judgments and the party’s existing zoning formula. First, the group insisted that “a fresh congresses must be held in Ebonyi and Anambra states, in strict compliance with subsisting court judgments.” This point highlights ongoing legal disputes in those state chapters that the faction believes have been ignored by the party leadership.
Second, they demanded that “a new South East Zonal Congress must be urgently conducted,” pointing to unresolved issues within the party’s structure in the geopolitical zone. Third, in a move that showcases the faction’s careful balance, they called for the recognition of the “outcome of the South South Congress in Calabar, already upheld by the courts,” a decision that is believed to favour allies of Wike within his home region.
The fourth condition addresses a local issue in Ekiti State, demanding the party “immediately conduct the Ekiti LGA congresses, in line with judicial pronouncements.”
The fifth and perhaps most politically charged demand is that “there should be no micro-zoning of offices, beyond the general zoning formula already adopted by the National Executive Committee NEC, to maintain peace and stability.” This is a direct pushbackp against any potential move to zone specific national offices, particularly the chairmanship, away from their preferred zone.
Finally, and most significantly, the Wike-led faction firmly declared that “the national chairmanship position must remain in the North Central, consistent with the zoning arrangement of the 2021 convention.” This condition is a strategic move to protect the position currently held by Senator Umar Iliya Damagum, which they see as crucial to their influence within the party’s structure.
The communiqué left no room for ambiguity, stating that the PDP is at a “defining crossroads,” and that “unity cannot be built on disenfranchisement, exclusion, or the neglect of valid judicial pronouncements.” It emphasized that only transparency and fairness would guarantee a credible convention.
The stakeholders cautioned that ignoring these resolutions could plunge the party into an even deeper crisis, urging the leadership to remember that the “PDP was built on the foundation of inclusivity, fairness, and justice.”
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