PDP Crisis: Zonal Chairmen Plot To Takeover National Leadership

By George OPARA

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Zonal Chairmen have expressed their readiness to assume interim national leadership should the courts uphold the expulsion of National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and nullify key conventions approving his actions.

This development is premised on the pervading uncertainty sequel to the seemingly endless legal fireworks rocking the party.

A reliable source among the Zonal Chairmen who pleaded anonymity told Spear News that
they are prepared to invoke the doctrine of necessity to prevent a total leadership vacuum.

If the Appeal court upholds the suspension of Anyanwu, it was disclosed that they will appoint an acting National Chairman and acting National Secretary.

However, not only the Zonal Chairmen will constitute the entire interim national leadership, other surviving National Working Committee members whose tenures remain intact will also be added to the anticipated leadership.

One zonal chairman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the time had come for decisive internal intervention to halt the endless crises that have weakened the main opposition party.

“It is high time we put a final stop to all these crises. The zonal chairmen are not just there; we are part of the NWC and we have the mandate to stabilise the party,” the chairman stated.

Further, he affirmed, “While predicting the outcome of the pending Supreme Court ruling on Anyanwu’s legitimacy to organise the March 30, 2026 convention, NWC members, particularly the zonal chairmen, will step in to offer national leadership in an acting capacity.

“If the court upholds Anyanwu’s expulsion and the nullification of the Ibadan convention, it means there will be a leadership vacuum. Anyanwu, as an expelled member of the PDP, cannot act for or on behalf of the party.

“You cannot build something on nothing. Since he wrote INEC to notify the commission of the Wike-backed convention, the court may declare his actions a nullity if he is no longer a party member.

“If both conventions are nullified, then we will have to step in. What I mean is that the zonal chairmen and other NWC members whose tenure have not expired will come together and appoint, among ourselves, an acting National Chairman and National Secretary. Two of us have discussed this, and we need to step up efforts in that direction.”

Another zonal chairman echoed the sentiment, noting that providing leadership at such a critical moment would serve the best interest of the party.

“We don’t know what the court will say about the two conventions, so it may be premature to make plans. But despite that, NWC members are constitutionally recognised, and our functions are clearly spelt out.

“A doctrine of necessity may arise from these legal issues. If we do not have any legally recognised leadership, then steps may be taken to provide direction for the party. But we must wait and not preempt the court,” he said.

But the North-East Zonal Chairman, Babangida Maddibo, who hailed from the North-East cautioned for restraint.

“Let us wait for the outcome of the Supreme Court on the cases. We shouldn’t put the cart before the horse. When we get to the bridge, we will cross it,

Political watchers said the plan of the Zonal Chairmen followed the recent pressure mounted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction on the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The faction’s counsel,
Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN,
in a letter dated April 16, 2026 addressed to the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, demanded the instant derecognition of Anyanwu as a party member and National Secretary.

The letter which drew INEC’s attention to the January 12, 2026 even referenced the judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court delivered by Justice Yusuf Halilu in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/1050/2025, where the judge dismissed Anyanwu’s suit and affirmed his expulsion from the PDP.

In addition, the Turaki faction insisted that Anyanwu ceased to be a member of the party from the date of his expulsion and therefore lacked the competence to act on its behalf in any capacity.

The counsel emphasised that the filing of a notice of appeal on April 10, 2026, does not constitute a stay of execution and, the High Court judgment remains subsisting and enforceable under Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The letter read in part, “Senator Samuel Anyanwu has ceased to be a member and officer of the Peoples Democratic Party and has no competence to act on behalf of the party in any capacity whatsoever since his expulsion… By implication, the judgment dismissing his case remains subsisting and in force, and the commission has a constitutional obligation to enforce, comply with, and implement the judgment… even without prompting from the Peoples Democratic Party.”

INEC’s continued recognition of Anyanwu, faction described it as an affront to the judiciary and urged the commission to expunge all recognitions granted to him since January 12, 2026, including any correspondences, notices, and his listing on the INEC portal as PDP National Secretary.

Recall the crisis traces back to March 10, 2025, when the PDP’s National Disciplinary Committee recommended Anyanwu’s expulsion for alleged anti-party activities and said to have been ratified by the party leadership at the time.

But the controversial Ibadan national convention held on November 15, 2025 ,the PDP under then Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum expelled Anyanwu alongside prominent figures such as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose for similar reasons.

However, the Ibadan convention was later declared null and void as Anyanwu, aligned with the Wike faction, approached the FCT High Court in Suit No. CV/1050/2025 seeking redress which Justice Halilu dismissed the suit in its entirety on
on January 12, 2026,

Yet, Anyanwu filed an appeal on April 10, 2026, at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, challenging the High Court ruling.

Despite the odds, Anyanwu, acting in his capacity as National Secretary, played a key role in the Wike-backed national convention held on March 29-30, 2026, in Abuja.

That convention produced Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and retained Anyanwu as National Secretary.

Even, Wike-aligned faction has pushed back strongly, describing media reports on Anyanwu’s expulsion as misleading.

Political pundits have wondered what the future of the party symbolizes in the unabated legal challenges where suit and counter-suits grows in a complex fashion.

In other political circles, not a few analyst s said it would be difficult for the PDP to participate in the upcoming 2027 general polls without legal encumbrances, insisting that the invocation of doctrine of necessity by the Zonal Chairmen to reposition the party is even long overdue.