Fresh tensions envelop PDP as crisis spills over to A/Ibom, Plateau, C/River, Kebbi

•Damagun, Anyanwu flex muscles

By Luminous Jannamike

On the corridors of Wadata Plaza, the nationalist office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), cognition is shifting fast. What erstwhile seemed a unchangeable bid operation is present exposed arsenic fragile, with authorization divided betwixt defining figures.

In the past week, congresses successful Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Kebbi, and Cross River person go chessboard squares connected which large factions beforehand their pieces.

National Chairman, Umar Damagum; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, look not simply arsenic officers but arsenic captains maneuvering for influence.
The result whitethorn find who controls PDP’s absorption up of 2027, not by election, but by interior legitimacy.

Two Centers, One Siege

The PDP has agelong maintained that its constitution guides each large decision, but mentation is contentious.

Damagum, arsenic National Chairman, presides implicit the ceremonial NWC meetings.
Anyanwu, reinstated arsenic National Secretary, insists that his co-validation is indispensable for immoderate determination to beryllium binding.

Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary, often communicates Damagum’s side, emphasizing enforcement enactment and adherence to declared NWC resolutions.

This dual halfway of powerfulness becomes disposable erstwhile authorities congresses are involved.

Those congresses are not trivial technicalities; they are the machinery done which enactment organs are refreshed, loyalties are signaled, and structures are prepared for aboriginal electoral claims.

Moves successful Four States

The archetypal decisive determination came from the top: a nationalist connection declared that the Akwa Ibom State Working Committee (SWC) was dissolved and replaced by a caretaker committee. Igwat Umoren was named the leader. The justification included alleged compromise of enactment principles and dual loyalty concerns.

Hours later, Anyanwu issued a counter-letter addressed to Aniekan Akpan, the authorities chairman, stating: “For purposes of clarity, that property merchandise should beryllium discountenanced, due to the fact that determination was nary ceremonial sitting of the National Working Committee (NWC) successful which specified determination was taken.”
He declared the earlier announcement “null and void and of nary effect.” The authorities enforcement was to proceed successful place, Anyanwu asserted.

Plateau & Kebbi
In Plateau and Kebbi, struggle implicit scheduling heightened tension. Penultimate Thursday, Damagum reportedly wrote to INEC, postponing congresses successful Plateau, Kebbi, and Cross River owed to operational logistic challenges.
The adjacent day, Anyanwu was said to person besides written a counter-letter insisting that those scheduled congresses inactive basal and indispensable proceed.
The 2 purported letters, astir identical successful assemblage but opposing successful content, sowed disorder successful authorities chapters. Delegates, section executives, and INEC were faced with contradictory instructions.

Cross River
In Cross River, the divergence turned public. The State Working Committee held a legislature successful Calabar connected the scheduled date, declaring its re-election valid.
Yet successful Abuja, the nationalist enactment insisted the legislature was unauthorised: Ologunagba said it was “hallucination” and “a carnival,” maintaining the NWC had earlier postponed the exercise.
“There was nary legislature successful Cross River by the PDP arsenic the enactment of the enactment had earlier announced the postponement of legislature successful Cross River, Plateau and Kebbi States,” helium insisted.
The Cross River section responded. The authorities publicity secretary, Mike Ojisi, said: “A purported societal media chat betwixt 5 members of the National Working Committee cannot represent a National Working Committee of the Party, speech much of taking specified a cardinal decision.”

The Moment  of Fracture
At this point, the PDP’s interior coherence is nether terrible strain. Two centres of authorization present contented directives connected the aforesaid matters: dissolutions of authorities organs, scheduling oregon postponement of congresses, and the assignment of caretaker committees, and some importune their actions are constitutional.
State chapters are confronted with conflicting orders from Abuja, unsure which to obey. The legitimacy of each determination taken successful the PDP’s sanction present depends connected whose mentation of the party’s ain constitution holds sway.
Much of the disorder stems from competing readings of the PDP Constitution (2017, arsenic amended), which, portion comprehensive, leaves country for strategical interpretation.
For instance, Article 47(1) states that “the word of bureau of each organ of the Party shall beryllium intelligibly defined, and immoderate atte...