The battle for what is left of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), took a new turn on late last week, with suspensions, counter suspensions and court orders ensuring that it has effectively broken into two factions, with one group loyal to Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, and its presidential candidate in the last election, and the other part loyal to Nyesom Wike, former Rivers state governor, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Wike camp, sources say, is likely fronting for Seyi Makinde, Oyo State governor, in 2027 presidential poll. In broader terms, it’s a battle between forces that want PDP to remain an opposition party that could contest for power in 2027, and forces that want the party to exist as a mere appendage of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to pave the way for President Bola Tinubu’s easy victory in 2027.
“The act of betrayal that the FCT Minister has been committing against the party for the last one year was possible, because he had an acting national chairman and secretary, and few others who have been politically compromised,” said Ikenga Ugochinyere, member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
“In fact, they are like the agents of the FCT minister, who is working for the APC. You can imagine that there was a court order stopping a state congress in Rivers, but the national leadership went ahead to do that congress and the supporters of the FCT minister were dashed the state structure of the party. And these are people, who have already pledged allegiance to the APC agenda of retaining power in 2027. ”
The drama on Thursday, through Friday started with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) loyal to Wike, led by Umar Damagum, the acting chairman, suspending the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, citing anti party activities. Both men had been vocal in urging the acting chairman to ensure the party adhered to its constitution in day-to-day operations.
The Ologunagba group, loyal to Atiku, in return, announced the suspension of Damagum and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu over same anti party activities.
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Although the party had been in crisis for years, the latest turn of events, which now threatens its continued existence as a political force, began in the aftermath of the Rivers local government election in which those loyal to Atiku, and those loyal to Wike naturally took parallel positions.
Wike, a loyalist of President Bola Tinubu, had used his influence with the NWC to take over the party’s structure in Rivers, leaving his successor and political adversary, Gov. Siminalayi Fubara in limbo. The idea in the Wike camp had, perhaps, been to use the PDP structure to take over the state’s grassroots political structure ahead of the local government election held recently. But Fubara had other ideas. His loyalists moved to his proxy party, the Action Peoples Party (APP).
The Wike camp, however, sensing what was coming, went to court to stop the election, and secured an order of the Federal high court in Abuja presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voter register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
The court also barred the inspector-general of police, and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the exercise, an order the police swiftly complied with. But citing an earlier judgment of the Rivers State High Court, and provisions of the constitution, both Fubara and RSIEC vowed that the election would hold as scheduled.
In this back and forth, the PDP NWC loyal to Wike, issued a statement opposing Fubara’s decision, while Ologunagba, the national publicity secretary backed the governor, who went ahead to conduct the election, which saw APP win 22 out of 23 local government councils, while Action Alliance clinched Etche local government.
During the party’s NWC meeting on Thursday, a member raised the point during the time for the any other business (AOB), that Ologunagba had issued a statement on the situation in Rivers asking PDP members in the state to go out and vote during the local government election in the state against the position of the NWC.
Mr. Ali Odefa, National Vice Chairman South East, who had been suspended by a faction of the party in Ebonyi State, also alleged that Ajibade, was supporting those working against him.
Sources noted that at this point, the argument got heated and Odefa and Ajibade were asked to step out of the venue, while Ologunagba was absent. When they stepped out, members were asked to vote on a motion for their suspension after some palms had allegedly been greased.
Following the vote, the Damagum led NWC announced the suspension of both Ologunagba and Ajibade.
In response, Ologunagba’s faction announced the suspension Damagum, and Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary. And subsequently announced the appointment of Yayari Mohammed as the party’s acting national chairman. The party’s NWC effectively split into two factions.
The Damagum and Anyanwu camp, subsequently got a court judgment restraining the party from sacking them. A ruling of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, presided by same Justice Peter Lifu, restrained the PDP from suspending Damagum and Anyanwu. It also restrained the National Executive Committee (NEC), and the Board of Trustees (BoT), from interfering with the offices of the duo until the end of the life of the present exco in December 2025.
But Ugochinyere, who is also the spokesman for the opposition Federal Lawmakers Coalition, and is aligned with the Ologunagba group, insists that they remain suspended.
Ugochinyere, in a post on X on Friday on behalf of the coalition, disagreed with Justice Lifu, noting that the court order didn’t stop the NWC from suspending Damagum, because he had already been suspended before the order was issued.
“The Court order didn’t stop NWC before they sacked Damagum,” he said. Justice Lifu’s order in favour of the Pro-Wike, APC backed PDP faction led by sacked Damagum came after the PDP NWC had suspended the former national chairman, Umar Damagum, and appointed Yayari Ahmed Mohammed as the acting chairman.”
BoT steps in
Amid the back and forth, the party’s board of trustees (BoT), chaired by former senate president, Adolphus Wabara, issued a statement asking the factions in the NWC to refrain from taking actions that will escalate the crisis in the opposition party.
Wabara in the statement on Friday, said the board will meet with the NWC over the internal crisis in the party.
“The BoT calls on all sides of the NWC to sheath their swords and de-escalate the tension. The warring persons must, in the overall interest of the party, revert to the status quo to preserve the unity and stability of our great party,” the statement reads.
“We understand that disagreements may arise, but as a party with a long-standing tradition of internal democracy, we must not let these challenges derail our collective vision.
“The Board of Trustees will meet with the members of the NWC to intervene, foster reconciliation, and ensure that normalcy is restored in the NWC of our Great Party.”
Makinde plot for 2027
With Nigeria facing unprecedented economic crisis under the Bola Tinubu administration, many had expected the PDP to be on its toes and offer a viable alternative going into 2027. But the party has not only spectacularly failed in this responsibility as it continues to fight within its own ranks, but appears to have been hijacked by the ruling party, with Wike having all, but taken over the party’s entire structure.
The plan, going into 2027, sources within the camp of the FCT minister told News Direct, is to field Gov. Seyi Makinde, the incumbent Oyo State governor as candidate of the PDP in 2027, in the understanding that he would not pose serious threat to Tinubu’s potential second term bid.
“Makinde will likely run in 2027 as the PDP candidate,” said a source, who craved anonymity. “He will be completing his tenure in 2027. The Idea will be to make the 2027 election a contest between him and Tinubu, but he would already have been compromised such that when APC rigs the election, there will be no challenge.”
Wike had broken ranks with the PDP, a party under whose platform he governed Rivers State for eight years, to back Tinubu and his APC against Atiku, who flew the main opposition party’s flag in the election.
He had lost PDP’s presidential ticket to Atiku in 2022, lobbied to get the vice presidential slot, but was denied, as Atiku opted for Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, then Delta State governor. Wike dumped the PDP campaign and supported Tinubu, ensuring that the APC emerged victorious in Rivers ahead of the Labour Party – under questionable circumstances – as Tinubu himself went on to win the presidential election.
What followed has been a battle for the control of the party between Wike, and Atiku, its most influential figure since then, with Wike now clearly having the upper hand.
The battle had centered around the NWC led by Damagum and Anyanwu, who are loyal to Wike. While Atiku and his camp are pushing for their removal, the Wike camp has insisted on their continued stay, a stand-off that has made it impossible for the party to hold its 99th National Executive Committee (NEC). It has been postponed, for the umpteenth time, to October 24.
The NEC meeting, initially scheduled for August 15 to discuss issues, such as the replacement of Damagum, was first postponed to September 26, with members’ travel to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage given as reason. But there was yet another postponement to October 24, a move seen by some members as a deliberate ploy to undermine the effort to replace Damagum.
With Damagum’s continued stay, Wike had strengthened his hold on the party, taking over its structure, not only in Rivers, his home state, but also in Abubakar’s home state of Adamawa.
The Adamawa chapter of the party, with the backing of the state governor, Umaru Fintri, recently backed Damagum’s leadership, a move that is at odds with Atiku’s position.
Bauchi State governor, another PDP governor in Atiku’s North East geopolitical zone, has also thrown his weight behind Damagum, and had received him on Friday, while news about his suspension was making the rounds.
After the meeting with him, the governor released a statement via his X account, @SenBalaMohammed, noting that his visit was an important one, a position that has rattled Atiku’s camp.
“Today, I had the honor of welcoming Ambassador Umar Damagun, the Acting National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to the Government House in Bauchi. Amb. Damagun’s visit was an important one, centered on discussions about critical Party matters and strategies to further strengthen the PDP as we continue to chart the path forward,” he wrote.
“Amb. Damagun reaffirmed the PDP’s enduring position as Nigeria’s most resilient and dependable political party. He also commended my contributions to the success of the party, particularly in fostering unity and cohesion. His remarks underscored the PDP’s strength as the only tested and trusted political party in the country.
“The purpose of their visit was to engage with me on crucial issues as we work together as a united front. I expressed my deep gratitude for this visit and praised the leadership of our great party. I also took the opportunity to highlight the political strength of the northeast, a region with influential leaders, who have been instrumental to our party’s ongoing success.
“As members of the PDP Governors’ Forum, we remain committed to fostering unity and collaboration within the party. I reaffirmed our dedication to the vision of national development, and I pledged to continue engaging with my colleagues in the PDP Governors’ Forum to ensure that our party remains forward-looking, particularly as we prepare for the upcoming 2027 elections.”
Observers believe that scheme among the party leaders is to ensure that Alhaji Abubakar does not fly the party’s presidential flag in 2027.
Damagum speaks
Meanwhile, speaking after the meeting in Bauchi, Damagum said Nigerians should not be pitied because they are currently seeing the consequences of trading their votes for items like spaghetti and wrappers.
He said he was happy that Nigerians, who collected food items and clothes to vote for President Tinubu during the 2023 general election are currently facing the hardship most.
“The APC was never ready to govern, so what good could possibly come from them?” he queried.
“Those, who accepted spaghetti and wrappers to bring in this government are suffering the most, and this should serve as a lesson. We must seek credible, proven, and tested leaders, who are genuinely prepared to govern, not those who simply say, “Emilokan” ” he stated.
Atiku’s position weakened
The backing of Damagum by both Bauchi and Adamawa, beyond strengthening Wike’s position, indicates that Atiku’s 2027 presidential ambition is now in jeopardy, with the FCT minister apparently determined to shut the door against him to perfect an easy return of President Tinubu.
“There is no iota of doubt about the fact that we are gradually moving towards a one party dictatorship in Nigeria,” declared Chief Abia Onyike, a former commissioner for information in Ebonyi State, and a chieftain of the PDP.
“I had thought that the ruling party, the APC would allow other political parties to perform at their own levels. But it would appear that they are not quite sure of what their chances would be in 2027. So, they want to hinge it on their ability to remote control what is happening in the opposition political party, which shows a level of political degeneration that is unheard of in the history of Nigerian politics.”
Faltering opposition
Since it lost power in 2015, the PDP, which once prided itself as the largest political in Africa, with a vision to stay in power for, at least, 60 years, has naturally seen its fortunes dwindle continually. Abandoned by the likes of Abubakar; Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of the country, and scores of its prominent figures, particularly, those from the North – a region that was determined to take power – in the lead up to the 2015 election, it was Wike, as Rivers governor, who stood in the gap, ensuring that the party survived, before the likes of Atiku; Bukola Saraki, former senate president, among others, returned to pursue their 2019 presidential ambitions.
But Wike, for his efforts, wanted to be rewarded with the 2023 presidential ticket, at a time it was generally accepted that power should return to the South. However, he lost out to Atiku in the event, with the apparent help of the then national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and then, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, among others. Although Wike initially accepted the outcome of the primary, the decision of Atiku to bypass him for Okowa in his choice of running mate was the last straw. He broke away with his loyalists in the party, including the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; the then governors of Enugu, Abia, and Benue states – Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Samuel Ortom – collectively known as the G5 governors.
Ayu was replaced by Damagum, then vice chairman (North), in line with party’s constitution. But going into 2027, Atiku wants him out with possible presidential run in mind, both being from the North East, but Wike wants his continued stay, in what seems to be a plot to shut the former vice president out and pave the way for Tinubu to retain his seat with relative ease, irrespective of the general sentiment of Nigerians, who continue to battle crippling economic hardship under the Tinubu presidency.
Wike’s allies within the party, including Governor Makinde, were all in Port Harcourt recently for a grand civil reception organized in his honour by the Ijaw in Rivers State. He once again used the occasion to attack PDP governors who declared their support for Governor Fubara in their the protracted political battle.
