Convention: PDP crisis deepens as Anyanwu alleges forgery, petitions DSS

..Anyanwu’s forgery claims won’t halt PDP normal —Deputy Legal Adviser

By Luminous Jannamike

The situation rocking Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has taken a melodramatic magnitude arsenic the party’s National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, has petitioned the Department of State Services, DSS, Inspector General of Police, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, implicit an alleged forgery of his signature.

This is simply a improvement that further threatens the behaviour of the party’s planned November nationalist convention.

In petitions dated October 15 and submitted to INEC, DSS, and the IGP connected October 16, Anyanwu asserted that helium ne'er signed the August 29 missive to INEC regarding the November 15–16 National Convention.

Recall that contempt the determination to clasp its nationalist elective normal successful Ibadan, Oyo State, connected November 15 and 16, hostility has persisted wrong the PDP arsenic allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, proceed to explicit discontent with the enactment of Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum.

Their concerns revolve astir unresolved disputes implicit South-South zonal leadership, power of enactment structures successful Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, and different states, arsenic good arsenic disagreements connected the micro-zoning look for the upcoming convention. These disputes person present escalated into a tribunal lawsuit seeking to halt the exercise.

In suit fig FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/25, PDP chairmen from Imo and Abia states, Austin Nwachukwu and Amah Abraham Nnanna, on with the South-South Zonal Secretary, Turnah Alabah George, accused the Damagum-led National Working Committee of breaching the party’s constitution and interior predetermination guidelines, prompting judicial intervention.

The defendants listed successful the suit see INEC, the PDP, Damagum, and respective different elder members.

At Tuesday’s proceedings earlier Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, the lawsuit was adjourned to October 16, pursuing a disagreement implicit who had the authorization to correspond the PDP.

Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Kamaldeen Ajibade and Chief Chris Uche, some laid assertion to the relation of the party’s counsel.

The justice directed them to contiguous grounds of their authorisation earlier the substantive hearing.

The tribunal subsequently fixed October 20 for the main proceeding and ordered each parties to speech tribunal documents by October 17.

Meanwhile, a missive dated October 16 and signed by 14 members of the National Working Committee reaffirmed the determination to region the National Legal Adviser, citing alleged compromise, and to name Uche, SAN, arsenic his replacement.

In his response, Ajibade maintained that helium was inactive the party’s National Legal Adviser with the authorization to correspond the PDP, emphasising that lone a nationalist normal had the powerfulness to region him from that position.

In his petition, Anyanwu denied the authorship of the missive sent to INEC, allegedly bearing his signature, and called connected the IGP and DSS to behaviour an probe into the matter.

In his missive to the Acting Chairman of INEC, titled “RE: Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Year 2025 Elective National Convention: Petition Against Forgery and Cloning of My Signature,” Anyanwu stated that the referenced missive was neither signed, approved nor issued by him.

The missive read: “My attraction has been drawn to the above-titled authoritative missive to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with Ref. No. PDP/DOM/GF.2/Vol. 1M/25-140, dated Monday, August 25, 2025, purportedly signed by me.

“Regrettably, the quoted missive was ne'er signed, authorised oregon known to me. It is shocking to person a forged/cloned mentation of my signature connected the letter.

“I, therefore, petition that this transgression behaviour by officers of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and their collaborators wrong INEC beryllium investigated and the culprits prosecuted.

“Attached herewith is an excerpt of the forged papers for easiness of reference.”

In a abstracted missive to the DSS Director General, titled “Petition Against Forgery and Cloning of My Signature,” Anyanwu urged an probe and prosecution of PDP officials and INEC collaborators progressive successful the alleged...