Pius Nsabe
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reinstated Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary.
Lere Olayinka, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s media aide, who posted this on his Facebook handle, said Ambassador Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the party, announced this at a press briefing which held at the PDP headquarter in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Damagum, flanked by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and other stakeholders, said the decision to accept Anyanwu into the National Working Committee(NWC), “was difficult”.
He also said the planned NEC meeting had been canceled.
He said, “We will have an expanded Caucus, at the next Caucus we will take a decision leading to a proper NEC.
“Anyanwu is resuming as the National Secretary, that is why I said it was a critical decision. Like INEC said they don’t have our notice, so what we will have on June 30th is an extended Caucus.”
The development comes after PDP leaders held a meeting with Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday.
Samuel Anyanwu, a former senator representing Imo East, was elected National Secretary during the PDP National Convention in 2021. However, his status became contentious in 2023 when he emerged as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the Imo State governorship election.
Following his emergence as a governorship candidate, internal factions within the PDP argued that Anyanwu had vacated his national office by contesting the governorship election, as the party’s constitution does not permit one individual to simultaneously hold party office and contest elective office.
This led to legal tussles and rival claims to the national secretary position, with calls from some quarters for his replacement and attempts to install an acting secretary in his place.
However, with the 2023 Imo governorship election concluded—and Anyanwu losing to APC incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma—his loyalists pushed for his return to the national office. After weeks of internal consultations and legal review, the NWC has now affirmed his position.
The decision is seen as a move to stabilize the party’s internal leadership structure ahead of future elections, including the 2027 general elections. It also signals the NWC’s effort to reconcile warring factions and refocus the party’s agenda as the main opposition force in Nigeria.
