The Peoples Democratic Party has formally informed the Independent National Electoral Commission of its plan to convene a National Executive Committee meeting on June 30.
In a letter dated May 30 and addressed to the INEC Chairman, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, informed the commission that the 100th NEC meeting would hold on June 30 at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.
The notification is in line with INEC regulations requiring a 21-day notice before any NEC meeting to decide on issues like the National Secretary and others.
The letter exclusively obtained by Sunday PUNCH referenced PDP/DOM/GF.2/VOL.1J/25-078 and received by INEC on May 30.
A senior PDP member, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the issue, disclosed that the NEC meeting would hold on June 30 to address unresolved matters.
According to the insider, the meeting will focus on resolving the dispute on the position of National Secretary, ratifying the zonal congresses, as well as reviewing reports and recommendations from various committees.
The PDP has been grappling with internal strife before and after the 2023 general elections.
Challenges ranging from the Rivers State crisis, unresolved disputes over the South-South and South-East zonal congresses, the controversy surrounding the National Secretary position, and more recently, the North-Central zonal congress, which have further unsettled the party.
Tensions among party leaders have escalated and spread across several states and regions, deepening the division.
The lingering crises have led to the postponement of the NEC meeting on six occasions, stalling key decisions about the party’s direction.
Consequently, notable members such as Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
In a bid to address the controversy surrounding the National Secretary position, the PDP National Caucus Fact-Finding Committee, chaired by Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, disclosed that INEC officially recognised Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
The committee’s findings were presented to the PDP National Caucus on May 27 in Abuja.
Following the discovery, members of the PDP National Caucus chose not to address the issue during the 99th NEC meeting held on May 27. Instead, the meeting agreed to reconvene on June 30.
The Damagun’s letter to INEC, titled ‘Notice of 100th National Executive Committee Meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party,’ read in part, “We write to formally inform and invite INEC that the leadership of our great party, PDP has scheduled our 100th NEC meeting to hold on Monday, June 30, 2025 at the National Secretariat of our party, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.
“This is for the commission’s information and necessary action, please. While thanking you for your usual cooperation, kindly acknowledge receipt of this letter and please accept the assurances of our highest regards.”
Attempts to get comments from Damagun and the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, regarding the letter and the upcoming NEC meeting were unsuccessful, as they neither answered calls nor responded to text messages from our correspondent.
Allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had cautioned that any move made without involving or recognising Anyanwu as the National Secretary would be considered invalid and could worsen the ongoing crisis within the party.
However, an insider disclosed that Damagum took the initiative to write to INEC at the 100th NEC meeting in line with the decision made at the 99th NEC meeting.
The insider said, “The letter is in order. The 99th NEC had already scheduled and announced June 30 as the date for the 100th NEC meeting. Due to many unresolved issues from the last meeting, the party had to write INEC ahead of the next NEC meeting to ensure the commission was involved in efforts to address those pending matters.
“Don’t forget that the 99th NEC set up the National Convention Committee and the Zoning Committee and assigned other responsibilities. So, the upcoming meeting will approve and populate the committees, as well as receive reports where necessary.
“Apart from that, the 100th NEC may also take decisive action to resolve the dispute over the National Secretary position and is expected to ratify the zonal congresses, among other key matters.”
